Redemption and Revenge
by ArmoredAce
Summary: Two years passed since the final battle against Hiltz, and tragedy has again befallen Zi. As the ties between two nations are severed and the outbreak of war on the horizon, Raven struggles to find a purpose in the world as his intent is questioned, and as he attempts to determine his own fate. - Rated M for language, violence, and adult themes. Picture credit goes to weep03!
1. Rewriting Stone

_**AN:**_ First fanfic, pretty nervous about it but here we go! I don't own Zoids in any way, shape, or form.

The blistering heat of the deserts of Zi were something one could never acclimate to. It was a measure of fortune though, that a number of oases dotted the sands, where two pilots were taking refuge at the moment. The sanctuary from the desiccant land was rather large, with a great amount of dense vegetation; trees forming a thick canopy, and bushes and vines equally saturating the area between the treetops and ground. A lake roughly in its center, a pupil of strikingly clear blue, was the source of water in the middle of the green iris. A small gray building was near it, no doubt a home at one point, now a shelter to any seeking it.

A cloaked figure opened the door into the abode, slipping into the doorway but not after a large, ebony beast followed him through, affixed to his master's side. In his hands was a large bag, cans and other items unknown rattling and clunking about inside. As the tall man took off the cloak, his face became clear. Shoulder length hair, deep gray, framed a face of sharp features, though the first thing to be noticed were the striking violet eyes resting above pronounced cheekbones. A dark black piloting suit was his attire, though the familiar armored pieces on the shoulders had since been removed. The maverick walked to a small drawer, one of the few furnishings left in the room, and quickly began rummaging through it, a look of discontent on his face. His features soon relaxed as he found what he was looking for. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, he pulled out a lighter from a pocket on his suit and lit the cigarette, taking a look around the room. It was small but open, with the dark wooden flooring showing as much signs of age and wear as the faded beige walls, a small number of drawers and containers scattered along them. He sat on one of the crates, and with some difficulty, pulled off the black and gray combat boots covering his feet and calves. Walking through the opening to his left, the rogue and his accomplice entered a larger room, this one lit by a single yellow bulb suspended in the center, though light poured in from a window by a sink. The kitchen, though the term was a stretch, was much more filled than the previous room, cupboards lining the walls and floor with a small stove in the corner. As the large bag was set on the counter top the man took a deep drag on his cigarette and exhaled slowly, gazing at the brightness outside the window.

Raven seldom found himself relaxed, and damn it was he going to savor this. Spending all his time travelling to local towns was wearing him ragged; walking with bated breath, hoping no one would recognize him. They never did, of course. He was far too skilled at keeping hidden to be noticed. But each time he did business in any of the markets, a measure of adrenaline surged through him. After all, he could never be too careful, despite the two years that had passed since his last public appearance. Looking over at a mirror on the wall, his attention drifted to his right cheek. Where a red marking would be, a dot adjacent to a symbol shaped like the number seven, there was nothing. Raven had elected to undergo the rather painful process of removing the crimson metal pigment underneath his skin. A few too many close calls and a growing knowledge of his appearance was all he needed to seal his decision. A growl interrupted his absentminded state, and he turned to Shadow. The tall black organoid cocked his head slightly, a look of inquiry on the dragon's metal face.

"Ha." the small laugh slipped forth from him. "Why ask me? Do you think I _ever_ know where that girl is?"

The girl in question was outside, on the far edge of the lake that the house was built next to. Walking towards the water, she gently laid down a large bag on the sand, full of the various fruits, vegetables, and other edible plant matter that was scattered throughout the vegetation of the oasis. Pulling off her blue buckled dress, a thin blue brassiere beneath covering her from any would-be eyes. Her dark leggings followed soon after, similarly blue underwear being the only garment left. Looking down at her reflection in the water, she couldn't help but smile. The once thin and boyish girl had filled out. Her once straight body had settled into a gentle hourglass shape, curved hips and full legs a result. Her chest had filled out well, no longer small and flat but supple and full, her blue hair reaching down to the bottom of her bust. She was much more of a woman now than the small tomboy from before, and she knew it. Pulling off her tan moccasins, she made her way into the azure water. As she waded into the water, she slowly inhaled as the cool water crept its way along her calves and up her thighs, though it was by far more tolerable than the unbearable heat of the desert air. Paying no mind that her undergarments would be soaked, she walked in farther, and the water quickly rose to just at her shoulders. Lazily falling backwards, she immersed herself fully, muscles relaxing as her mind followed suit. Her turquoise eyes opened to gaze through the clear water, long strands of sapphire hair flowing dreamily as she sank slowly, enjoying the cold embrace as her body loosened and tension faded away.

Reese was quite content. As far as she was concerned, her life was by far an improvement over the hell it was two years ago. The destruction of Hiltz, the Death Saurer, and the collapsing of Zoid Eve into the desert left very little chaos left to interfere with her new beginning, though Raven often proved to be a magnet for his past and all those affected by it. So far it was the occasional run in with the Republic or Empire or accidentally stopping at a village or town and being recognized. While the consequences hadn't been too dire apart from a skirmish or twelve, it was enough for Raven to remove his facial marking, and with much coercing, Reese's too. The dot on her forehead was now gone, though the process was quite painful. The salve used literally pulled the pigment from under the skin and to the surface. Her relaxed face now frowned slightly. "_I wonder if he ever realizes just how the world sees him now..._" Indeed, perception of Raven was now in question to a number of individuals, namely those present at the final battle. The infamous pilot, helping his sworn rival, not to mention the group previously focused on his defeat and capture, if not death? It was mind boggling to anyone who didn't know the situation.

Hell, it was probably mind boggling to those _in_ the situation. Of all of them, Van and Fiona seemed to be accepting, at the least. Saving Van's life, as well as allowing him an opening to destroy the Death Saurer was enough reason for them to see his change of heart. What the others thought was unknown to her, and frankly beyond her interest. While they knew of his actions, most of the rest of Zi did not, which often led to troubling encounters. Her thoughts drifted now to Raven himself: His changes in the past two years were quite astonishing: He no longer regarded her with a fierce derision, and sarcastic insulting was surprisingly not his only form of conversation now. He was... kind to her. Tolerating her, at the least. Sure, he was blunt and abrasive and at times an ass, but never as bad as before. The first few months of their travelling together was viewed as a rough necessity, but soon he warmed to her and Specular's presence. Her face now relaxed as she thought of the time he had taken care of her. While they both were no longer living from raiding and thievery, sickness was by no means a stranger to the ancient Zoidian. Numerous times she had fallen ill, only for Raven to look after her, almost... caring, dare she say? The cold maverick certainly had treated no one else in such a way, and she doubted anyone else would ever receive such attention from him. _"Oh, if that boy truly knew how I feel..."_ She closed her eyes, the traces of a smile on her face as she began to rise to the surface. With an eerie quiet her head appeared, and she cast an absent look over at the shore, eyes cloudy with daydreams. As she looked, something suddenly caught her attention: Raven, standing on the shore looking out at her.

"Where the hell is she?" Raven muttered, irritated at the psychic's ability to outright vanish from the face of Zi. Wedging his feet into his pair of worn black boots, he shoved the door outside open and walked out, determined in his frustration to find wherever Reese had absconded to. As he trudged around the perimeter of the lake, he soon found his answer: A bag of produce lay on the sand, accompanied by a buckled blue dress, dark brown leggings and tan moccasins. As he looked at the items, his face went a slight shade of red:

"_Oh, don't tell me she's gone and gotten nude..."_ He looked outwards to the lake to find Reese roughly 30 feet away, and was greeted by a sharp scream of shock.

"RAVEN!?"

"What?!"

"STOP LOOKING!"

"I'm not!"

"I SAID STOP IT!"

He looked away hurriedly, his face now scarlet with a mix of embarrassment and irritation.

_"What the hell does she expect me to do?! She wanders off to who knows where, and gets angry when I find her in the one place I expect her to be? And to think that the lake _right outside _is somehow beyond my vision... Ugh. Besides, it's not like I'm some kind of pervert who'd look in on her when she's..."_

His thoughts trailed off as he caught himself in a lie. As much as he'd hate to admit it, when his hatred for the girl disintegrated, a strange series of new feelings set in. He... Well, he liked being around her, for one. He'd never had any companionship apart from Shadow, and while his loyal dragonoid was by far his most faithful companion, it was extremely refreshing having another human around, albeit one who was sarcastic, cynical, loved to toy with him, and who he was sure was as mentally fucked up as he was, if not more. But beggars can't be choosers, can they? Just having another human who understood emotions and could be talked to was an unprecedented pleasure he'd never had the opportunity of before. Anyone he'd worked with in the Empire was either incompetent, arrogant, moronic, or more commonly all of the above. Except for Schubaltz, that is. He was one of the few Raven held a measure of respect for. All in all, he enjoyed her company, if she were insufferable at times. She was someone to talk to. To spend time with, to find comfort in. And, puzzling enough, she was... Nice to look at.

_"I almost can't believe I actually _like _looking at that dumb girl..."_

Raven's train of thought was interrupted by a slap to the back of his head.

"Ah, what the hell Reese?!" Raven snapped as he glared at her, her eyes full of vexation.

"That's for looking when you shouldn't." she said, the red fading from her face as she pulled on her shoes, already wearing the dress and leggings.

"Oh, please, forgive me for finding you wide out in the open, half nude and expecting no one to see." he retorted, annoyed by her confounding logic.

"All is forgiven darling," she replied, feigning obliviousness to his sarcasm. "Though you really should ask before you look." her voice trailed off in a taunting manner.

"Whatever..." Raven turned to look down at the bag of fruit, and more importantly away from the woman now keen on toying with him. "Where's Specular? I'd have figured that hunk of metal would be here after hearing you break my eardrums with your shrieking."

"She's right here, as a matter of fact. Specular, come now." Reese looked over at the water where a deep blue organoid moved with a serpentine grace through the water, yellow eyes peering from a narrow head resting on the surface. The tall metal tyrannosaur gracefully swam ashore, water trickling out from the seams and joints of her metal hide. Craning her serpentine neck towards Reese, she growled a message, then lifting her head up as multiple panels on her torso opened to let loose a flood of water, as well as several fish that had been trapped inside.

"Good Specular, you're _much_ more effective at hunting than Raven. What did you catch today, hmm Raven? More cans? Maybe a wild sack of potatoes?"

Raven snarled as she laughed, her humor laced with taunting and mockery.

"Shut up and grab your fruit, we've got work to do." he growled before walking off towards the house, with Reese and her organoid soon following.

Inside the house, the fish were put on the counter top and the fruit and vegetables from the sack inside a small refrigerator. Raven lay the first fish on a large cutting board, and retrieved a combat knife from a sheath buckled to the rear of his belt. Slicing open the belly, he began the task of gutting and scaling, then putting them in a large bucket to be taken outside whilst throwing the guts and skin in a separate bucket. While most would find the process a grueling and unpleasant one, Raven found peace in it. For some reason, doing anything _other_ than fighting in Zoids was refreshing. "_It's not like I've ever had a good battle since Hiltz anyways._ he thought to himself. _Nothing but piss poor "bandits" and raiders, not one of them could stand a chance against the Geno Breaker, even in the sorry condition it's in now. Flyheight is worth a thousand of those hacks in his sleep.._."

"Something on your mind, darling?" Reese's sudden words in his ear caused him to jolt internally. She often had a way of entering and exiting in utmost silence, and had made it a habit of whispering in his ear as well, much to Raven's chagrin.

"Fuck! Reese, stop doing that!" his barking went unheeded as she tilted her head back to laugh, reveling in her effect on the stoic warrior and his usually unmovable cold demeanor.

"Oh, but where is the fun in that, hmm? The days would be so dreadfully dull if I didn't."

Her eyes glimmering with bemusement, she looked up at him and ran a finger under his chin, leaning close so their faces were but a few inches apart.

"Besides darling, you're the one who can't be bothered to keep aware of what's going on. That's a rather... dangerous habit, don't you think?"

Her voice, low and almost whispered, sent an unwanted surge of electricity through Raven. Swatting her hand away, he glared at her with annoyance. "Well, how about you find some entertainment at someone else's expense? Or do I need to drag you into the lake and hold you under? Let's see just how aware you are of what's going on then."

"Oh Raven, you and your sweet talk is just too much for a girl to bear sometimes."

"That was a promise."

A snide snickering was her reply, as she bent down and snatched the bucket holding the fish up and carried it out, leaving the warrior alone and no less irked at her startling entrance.

Sighing, Raven walked from the kitchen, then down the hallway from the entry room, and into a small cramped bathroom. Several bulbs lit the tiny room, a pair above the sink, a larger one in the center of the ceiling, and one inside the stall of the shower. Opening the drawer below the sink, he began looking through it with mild interest. Grabbing a razor, he wet the blade, then his face with hot water from the faucet and carefully began to work removing the layer of stubble from his face. Long slow strokes of the blade soon proved effective, and the corners of his mouth curved into a satisfied grin as the last of the stubble was removed, rubbing his now smooth face. Peeling off his clothing, he stepped into the shower stall and turned on the water, flinching slightly as the cold hit him, but soon relaxed as the temperature rose. Resting his head against the wall, he let the hot water scour away the aches and grime of the day, closing his eyes contentedly as the dirt and distress swirled down the drain.

"_I need a good fight. Someone with some skill. Or at least a few dozen decent pilots, seeing as I doubt I'll be running into Flyheight anytime soon. _He opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. _It doesn't matter if we're now allies or enemies, I've still got a score to settle with that fool and his organoid, Guardian Force be damned." _It had been weeks since his last zoid battle, and approximately two years since his last truly difficult fight, one that left the Geno Breaker in disrepair and Raven burning to fight his rival to settle their score. Walking out of the bathroom robed in a towel, he entered the room with his previously dirty clothes underarm, throwing them onto the ground lazily before grabbing a new pair of underwear, gray trousers, and a muddy brown shirt.

Walking outside, he was greeted by a gradually dipping sun and a small campfire with three fish roasting on a spit, Reese watching the flames lick the air below the cooking fish with interest while Shadow and Specular both lay curled up several feet away, also transfixed by the dancing tongues of heat. Walking over to the log Reese was sitting on, he took a seat next to her and sighed.

"Something on your mind?"

"I need a good fight."

Now Reese sighed.

"No, you mean you wish to fight Van."

"Well, I suppose he could be a-"

"Raven, I know you far better than that."

Raven looked at his palms, the scars stretching across them illuminated by the glow of the fire.

"I just want to settle the score... And be done with this."

"So you don't wish to kill him anymore?"

Raven opened his mouth to speak, but soon closed it. Did he really want Van dead? Had those years of hatred finally faded away too? He recalled fighting alongside him tooth and nail to defeat the Death Saurer. Sure it had been a mutual goal, but at the time he did it out of necessity. Sure he respected Van, but he'd respected him after his first defeat, so that was nothing new. Had he really stopped hating him? It all seemed so surreal. To wake up, and not have hatred burning inside... He almost didn't want it. _Almost._

"What else do I have? What other purpose could I possibly serve? I'm hated by everyone on Zi, wanted in the Republic and the Empire, and have a zoid that's all but in disrepair. I have nothing Reese..."

"That wasn't my question, Raven."

Silence was his answer.

As the sun lowered, they both ignored the now awkward silence and began to eat. Shadow walked over to Raven, a growl and nudging of his arm to comfort. Raven smiled; It was a rare sight, that all in company could appreciate. A happy Raven was one that wasn't hell bent on destruction, and more or less pleasant to be around. As they finished their meal, the fire was quenched with water from the lake and the bones from the fish buried in the ashes. Raven grabbed another cigarette from the pack and walked to the door, leaning next to it, the orange tip glowing as he inhaled deeply.

"You really do have a death wish, don't you?" Reese remarked as she walked over to him.

"And what if I do?" Extending his hand, he offered it to her. Reese plucked the burning object from his hand, only to promptly throw it on the ground and stamp it out.

An angry sigh emanated from Raven. "What, pray tell, was that for?"

Reese looked at him, her face tensing. "It's bad for you. You should stop that nasty habit."

"Why do you care? Why _should_ you care?"

"Because... I do care."

Raven wasn't sure what to make of her answer, opting instead to look out towards the lake. Reese moved towards the door, but not before stopping once more and looking to Raven.

"...And even though you say you have nothing, I'll always be here."

Raven recoiled as if her words were a physical force. He hadn't meant that he was _really_ alone with nothing to live for... Well, he did, in a way. Going from the most feared pilot on Zi, to the most wanted pilot on Zi without a zoid was unbearable. And while he was pleased with the lack of struggle daily, he also missed it. The thrill of the fight, of conquering enemy after enemy after squad after battalion, crushing everyone in his way. It was an awkward transition to say the least. At least back then he-

The door shutting opened him back to reality. With a heavy groan, he followed Reese into the house.

"Reese!" Raven called out to the woman halfway to the bedroom, who looked behind her, eyes saddened.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that. I'm... I'm glad you're here." Her face softened, and the curve of a smile grew on her face. Walking towards him, she embraced him and lay her head on his chest. Raven tensed, at odds with what to do, finally deciding to put his arms around her; physical contact was still a strange concept to him, but he knew she'd like it. Raven himself was finding it tolerable, if not slightly pleasant.

"Let's go to sleep. It's been a long day."

Raven smiled slightly, in agreement. Heading towards the bedroom at the end of the hall, his troubles now fading, his focus now on the young woman in front of him.

**_AN__:_** Thanks for reading if you made it this far! Please review, and give me an opinion: should I add in some lemon content? I've been considering it, but really am not sure if that's what you readers would like.


	2. Death of Peace

Clear skies and comfortable temperature in the capital of the Helic Republic would lead one to expect nothing but serenity, happiness, and everything going according to plan. The time was 11:00 AM, and the mood was of sheer joy.

President Camford had just such expectations, the limousine chauffeuring her along the parade route driving steadily, as she waved from the open seated vehicle's back. The parade was for the two year anniversary of the defeat of Hiltz and the mutual peace reaffirmed between the Empire and Republic, a sister event to the one occurring in the Imperial city of Guygalos. The route went from the capital building around throughout the entire city, starting at 9:30 AM and ending at 11:30 AM. Behind her marching a pair of Gojulas, armed to the teeth as well as decorated for festivity, bright white, blue, and gold colors drawing the eye as much as their imposing stature and armaments. Behind them four Gordos painted white as well, gold fins and blue inner frames matching the Gojulas to their front. The line continued, with Dibison, Command Wolves and Gun Snipers marching in tow, with the occasional squadron of Storm Sworders screaming overhead, all eliciting awe and wonder at the display of power and pride. Turning left onto another street full of skyscrapers, as cheering continued to burst forth from delighted citizens, Camford smiled, her gray hair fluttering in the slight breeze, eyes glimmering with joy, pleased with the reaction she was receiving from the crowds and the atmosphere of the whole city. As Camford looked to her right her attention soon shifted to the floor of the vehicle; a small briefcase that had previously escaped her notice lay inside, a small blinking light on the front capturing her attention, and captivating fear in her as her eyes widened and lips parted. Her terrified reaction was soon noticed by the people, who in turn began to devolve from a cheering crowd to a worried mass, and as Camford began to climb out of the back of the limo, everything around her illuminated as the bomb exploded. The time was 11:03 AM, and joy and peace were nowhere to be found.

Inside the main complex of the Red River base, a pair of metal doors slid open. Walking through them, a young man with spiked hair, followed by a blonde woman and a silver metal tyrannosaur, the loud clang of its steps drowning out the stamp of boots and the clicking of heels. Van Flyheight was in a hurry, and for good reason. Two years of peace, then absolute disaster; the president of the Republic had been assassinated in a highly public setting, no doubt a goal of whomever orchestrated the attack. The news came in the middle of the day, a parade celebrating the two years of peace that Van's defeat of Hiltz brought a cruel twist of irony; now it was a day for panic, fear, sadness, and disarray. The room in question was like most in the base; unremarkable, a large rectangular steely room with a large table bordered by chairs in the middle, as well as three large monitors bordering the walls, as well as rows of computers being attended by various officers, technicians, and workers. The floor was a dull sandy colored tile, though the cold metal surface shared nothing with the warm grains of the earth.

"Where's Irvine?" Van asked shortly, looking for the mercenary whom no doubt was also called to duty.

"We're not sure." The answer came from a man with dirty blonde hair, Thomas Schubaltz, who was in a similarly grim mood.

"Moonbay has been in sporadic contact, and Irvine seldom if at all. We're currently sending out calls to everyone we can get a hold of, though getting a hold of anyone is a pain in the ass, to say the least."

Van wasn't sure what he had expected; merely months after their final battle, Irvine and Moonbay had set off to make their fortune, arguing that peace was no good for mercenaries and arms transporters respectively, and that a treasure hunt was as good as any way to make it big and have fun doing it. Van didn't blame them. While peace was good for the people, it was not good as far as business went for the peacekeepers. Business was slow, provided there was any at all. At first loyalist forces were the enemy, though they dwindled exponentially after the final destruction. Then came the bandits, marauders, and general no-gooders, and after being called in to deal with a border dispute between two farmers, Van was about ready to grab a metal detector and look for Irvine and Moonbay's treasure himself.

"Oh! My apologies miss Fiona!" Thomas' face tinted red as he noticed Fiona's disgruntled expression.

"Oh don't worry Thomas, I've heard much worse when Van gets frustrated." Her words did little to calm Thomas, still fronting a chivalrous demeanor.

"I apologize for such unacceptable use of such foul langua-"

"Thomas, His Majesty Rudolf Zeppelin the III wishes to speak to you!"

Thomas' startled attention was now directed at the communications officer speaking to him.

"Well what are you doing?! Patch him through!"

After a few buttons pressed and technical taps, the face of the emperor appeared on the large monitor on the far end of the room. He looked distressed, and amid the hurry of persons behind him it seemed that the Empire too was chaotic and confused.

"Thomas Schubaltz, good to see a competent face around here."

"Thank you, your majesty. What is it you require of me?"

"The vice-president of the Republic is being decidedly... difficult, to contact, on top of now enforcing border checks, and as I am hearing a no-fly zone ten kilometers out of the border. I'm hearing reports of Imperial soldiers in Republic territory being arrested, and masses of Republic forces mobilizing across the map. In light of these unwelcoming changes, I am requesting all previous and current Imperial soldiers and personnel be called to help enforce the peace and prepare for possible imminent conflict."

"Rudolf, you can't be serious! There's treaties in action, and the president would never think of-" Van's voice was cut off as Rudolph spoke again.

"Van, I know how you feel. But there is no more President Camford, and as Emperor, I cannot stand by and allow these actions to occur without appropriately responding for the safety of myself, and the peace and safety of the citizens and land of the Empire. I'm sorry to say this, but as of now all Imperial personnel in the Guardian Force and Republic territories are being called back into service inside the borders of the Empire."

"Rudolf, where does this leave us?" Fiona now spoke, looking for an answer. Zeke at her side, grumbled in equal distress, picking up on the atmosphere now present in the room.

"You and Van both are honorary citizens of the Empire and ambassadors under my word. With that said, there's a certain pair of individuals I'd like you to find and bring to me."

"Hold on Rudolf, if you're going where I think you are..."

"Yes Van. I'm asking you to find Raven and Reese."

Thomas gawked, and turned to look at Van to see his reaction.

It was no different.

"You're kidding me! Do you think that he'll be possible to find, much less _speak to_ without us being attacked, or that he'll even cooperate?!"

"I'm not asking if it's possible Van, I'm simply asking for you to do it. I know you, and I know you're the person for this job, I wouldn't ask you to do this unless I was certain you could. I'll be sending Karl Schubaltz with you, as a Colonel of the Imperial Army he'll have the authority required to request Raven's return, and momentarily pardon him until I can do so in full."

"_Pardon him?!_ Rudolf, is that even possible?! He's killed soldiers on both sides, not to mention destroyed countless zoids and bases, _and_ he served under Hiltz and Prozen!"

"His duty under Prozen can be pardoned fully, as the situation was brought to light. As Emperor, I can pardon him for just about anything; the only snag in our situation is Reese. She has no loyalties to the Empire, and as such relieving her of her crimes will be a much more... bureaucratic matter. Certainly a headache inducing one... But enough of that. You have your orders, and I have the utmost confidence in you, Fiona, and Colonel Schubaltz. I wouldn't put you to the task unless I knew you could succeed."

Van couldn't help but grin now. Turning to Fiona, his grin widened and elicited a smile from her and a roar from Zeke.

"Oh, and I'm sure Zeke's abilities will be crucial for the tasks ahead of you." Rudolf smiled in full, knowing the metal dinosaur was irked at being ignored.

"Alright then, what are waiting for!?"

"Rudolf, what do you wish of me?" Thomas inquired, knowing that his ruler would have a task for him as well.

"You are gather all the men you can and bringing them back into Imperial borders. I have a feeling this may escalate more than we can anticipate soon. I'll be sending reinforcements your way to help with any trouble you might run into on your mission."

"We won't let you down Rudolf, don't you worry one bit!" Van's attitude was always a relief to the young monarch; in light of anything, that was one thing he could be certain of.

"I know I can count on you all. Please, be safe and keep me updated. I'll keep you updated on your tasks directly. Rudolf, signing off." With that, the screen went blank.

"Alright Van, you heard the man, let's get to it!" Thomas was surprisingly enthused, swiftly marching out the doorway to get underway with his task.

"Van..?"

Van looked to Fiona, hearing the subtle concern in her voice.

"What is it?"

"I'm having a very bad feeling about this... Come with me."

Van, perplexed, did as requested, as she led him and Zeke through the halls until they reached the hangar. Walking along the vast area, they came to the unmistakable blue zoid; the Blade Liger. It was separated from the rest of the zoids by a hangar space on each side, a Command Wolf and a Gojulas both a couple hundred feet away. Fiona walked to the zoid's front, and looked up at it. Turning to Zeke, she spoke quietly.

"Zeke... It's time again."

The organoid looked at her in understanding, and growled lightly in approval.

"Fiona, what are you-" Van was cut off again by the various panels on Zeke's chest opening, and an array of cords and cables ensnaring Fiona and pulling her in. In a burst of blue light, Zeke rocketed in the air, arcing sharply and plunging into the core of the Blade Liger. Unlike all the other times however, a strange pink aura emanated from the Liger, long bands of white with pink edges spreading out, before curling inward and spiraling, until it was cloaked in a sphere of swirling pink energy. Van's jaw dropped, and mechanics and pilots all around looked on in equal awe of the swirling cloud, bands of rose colored energy circling in a large bubble, the soft color immensely bright.

The Blade Liger was evolving.


	3. Counter for Counter

_There he was again. As the city went up in flames metal groaned and shrieked in two very figurative and literal senses as dying zoids and their pilots fell and exploded, being torn apart and vaporized. Raven stood in the center, as the inferno raged and the sounds of death screamed loudly in his ears. Looking ahead, a shape appeared out of the blaze. The Genobreaker stomped forward, slow and with purpose. It appeared untouched as if it had been birthed and left alone, but the raging fire and carcasses around told of a far bloodier past. Without provocation or warning, the footlocks slammed into the ground, as the tail and head straightened, vents and flaps opening to suck in energy as well as dissipate the coming heat. As the barrel extended from the throat, three silhouettes obscured his sight of the death machine. Reese, Shadow, and Specular stood in front of him, stoic and tragic in their decision._

_"No! No, get out of the way!"_

_They remained still._

_"Move! Can't you hear me?!"_

_Reese turned slowly, her eyes full of tears_

_"Fucking MOVE!"_

_As Raven's pleas and demands fell on deaf ears, it was then that his vision was engulfed in agonizing white._

Raven awake with a loud gasp and a short choked sob, dripping with cold sweat and shaking. Heart pounding out of his chest, he looked down with tear brimmed eyes at his palms. The jagged, dark patches were the most visible reminders of his encounter with the very death he so often dealt to others, though by no means the only ones. Among the many scars he bore, the most deep were the mental ones. And with nightmares like the one he just had being a common effect, they were the most painful. A stirring to his left drew his attention away from the nightmare and into reality.

Reese woke up in a sluggish manner, but after a few seconds of seeing Raven in the state he was in, she hurriedly climbed out of her bed across the room, her face full of concern.

"Another nightmare?"

Her inquiry was met with silence. Raven stared at his hands for a moment, before tears clouded his vision and he slowly choked out sobs. As Reese sat down on the bed and reached her hand out, Raven in one deft and emotional movement wrapped his arms around her before breaking into deep sobbing. Reese's own eyes widened in shock, and soon became misty as she embraced him as well, shushing him lightly as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her soothing seemed to be working slightly; he stopped his shaking, loosed his hold, and now lay his head on her lap. Reese was overwhelmed by the sudden display of emotion and physical contact, both of these things uncommonly shown to her, and once thought unknown and inconceivable from Raven. His nightmares were by no means strangers to them, often she had stayed up with him, and doing anything but acknowledging the events that had transpired was often the best, if not only solution to Raven's despair; he had reacted quite unfavorably when pressed to disclose them. But with the emotional state he was in, she was unsure of how to act. She'd only seen him this way once, after Shadow's death.

_"He must be hurting badly if he's this upset..."_

After a moment, things seemed a bit calmer. His breathing slowed, now steady, his eyes no longer full of tears and his touch had lightened.

"Raven?"

The maverick's face was somber, his eyes slightly fogged as he recalled the horrors of his night terror.

"I can't run from it Reese... The nightmares keep coming, and now it's you and Shadow and Specular paying for what I've done. My past is coming after me. And I've got nowhere to go."

"Then don't run. Fight."

Sitting up now, he gave her a questioning look. There was a hidden meaning in those words, as there was almost everything she said. She never would make such a simple blunt statement without elaboration required.

"What do you mean, fight? How can I fight my past?"

"You can't run from your past, but you can always create your future. No matter who you are, where you go, or whether or not you remember your past in the slightest. There will be someone who will know your intention, who knows you want to change. That's how you can fight it. You'll never be able to repair what you've done in full. But you can make assurance that what you do next will be different. I know you can. You'd always say you'll fight your way out, and now's your chance."

Raven looked at his palms in silence. Maybe she was right. Maybe, just maybe there were people out there who could see past the past, and know he wanted to change. As he remained silent, Reese's hand slid over atop his, her fingers gently working their way to interlock with his. Taking time to consider whether or not he desired physical contact, much less if he would even tolerate it, he eventually relented. She squeezed his hand slightly; it was as much of an affirmation he was awake as it was of comfort. The two sat in silence for an untold number of minutes that seemed like hours, the glow of the moon bathing the room in soft white light. Reese let her grip go and now slid her legs under the blanket she was sitting on, her head finding a pillow as she pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

"What are you doing? This is my bed, Reese."

His query was met with a short reply.

"I'm cold, and it's warm. I'm staying."

"Well then what the hell am I gonna do with you in my bed?"

His question was met with a hand grabbing his shoulder and pulling him down, causing his face to flush slightly. The blue eyed woman pulled the blanket over him, before squirming closer and nuzzling against his shoulder. Face now scarlet, though hardly noticeable in the pale moonlight, Raven was at a loss for words at the series of events that had just taken place. Noticing his tensed demeanor, Reese ran a hand along his face with a gentle shushing, hoping to ease his rigid attitude into relaxing.

"Goodnight Raven."

A moment passed, before the maverick responded.

"Goodnight, Reese..."

A soft sigh of contentedness slipped from her lips as she shut her eyes and slowly began to drift into sleep.

_As Reese looked on at the destruction, two shapes were clear. One, a blue liger, clad in deep blue metal with traces of gold and white throughout, the two swords on its back lowered and aglow. The other, a great red tyrannosaur, armored in crimson with dark silvery metal accenting stood tall, great armored shields revealing weaponry from within. They stood face to face at a standstill as the wreckage around them smoldered and burned. Then without warning suddenly both launched forward, roaring with ferocity. As the two grew close, Reese's vision suddenly filled with white as the image faded, and the darkness of sleep once again returned._

Raven awoke to the sunlight beaming in from the window, and Reese nowhere to be found. Clambering out of the bed, the maverick now began to notice more were absent: Shadow and Specular were both gone too, with Shadow's absence bringing a slight sense of trepidation. As he made his way to the bedroom door, great thunderous footsteps outside turned his own pace from a brisk walk to a near full sprint. As he burst outside to the scorching heat, his vision was filled with red. The Geno Breaker, the hellish nightmare of the Guardian Force, once an unstoppable demon of destruction, was in a sorry state at best. One of the X Breakers was incinerated off, the armor remaining was pocked and gouged with holes from various munitions, wires hanging from multiple places. As the Breaker halted, a bolt of blue light shot out from the core arcing high in the sky to curve down in front of Raven. Shadow growled a greeting, and then looked left to Reese and Specular who had also joined the dilapidated zoid in its walk to the house. A great groaning and sighing of metal took place as the Geno Breaker went from standing erect to a listed stance, the right side leaning heavy with the weight of the single X Breaker, the tail's damaged servos the cause for its limpness, and the left arm dangled, too damaged to even be held up.

"Shadow, Reese, what the fuck is going on here?!"

"The President of the Helic Republic is dead, Raven. The Republic has closed its borders and all but declared martial law, and from the radio contact I've been listening in on it sounds like war is a very real possibility."

"So let them fight, what concern does that have with us?"

"Are you really so dense as to not see what this means? That maybe this could be your chance at redemption? Camford's death was no accident, Raven. She was killed in a parade by a bomb in the motorcade, and a high profile assassination like that leaves a lot to be answered."

Raven grimaced at the sudden revelation.

_"She's right. The President of the Republic in such a public setting. There's got to be something bigger going on here. And she's insane for even thinking I'll have a hand in this."_

"What am I supposed to do? I'm wanted by both armies, as you've just seen my zoid is one loose bolt away from being an unusable pile of scrap metal, not even gonna bother to ask why you brought it out here, you're zoidless as well, we've got no way to get anywhere in the first place and what the hell could I do anyway? What possible plan do you have that could hope to make this royally fucked situation any better?"

"Both you and Flyheight will be the deciding factors in the upcoming battles; and they will happen, Raven. My premonition last night only confirmed my suspicion. And in light of such events, I think now is a better time than ever."

"For what? What premonition? Reese, what the hell are you talking about?"

Her eyes glowed slightly as she approached Raven, refraining from answering him and instead tilting her head up to look him in the eyes and gently touching his face with her hand.

"I'll see you soon darling."

The typically taunting manner that would accompany such a phrase was gone, replaced with a rare sincerity. Her tan shoes made scarce depressions in the dirt as she walked towards Shadow, the sable creature looking her way. Shadow craned his neck upwards towards the sky as panels on the front of his chest and abdomen flared open with a mechanical hiss, prompting dozens of thick vine-like wires to ensnare the small woman and pull her inside as the panels now closed.

Shadow looked to Raven once again, before becoming a blinding blue light that rocketed upwards and down into the Geno Breaker. Bright red energy burst out from the zoid in a great wave, only to stop as it met an unknown resistance and solidify into flat panels, a huge crystal beginning to envelope the zoid. As the scarlet substance slowly increased opacity, the Breaker lifted its head up high, and the red eyes dull glow flashed blue and bright, the color changing with Shadow's influence.

Raven's expression of awe soon turned into a grin, as he now began laughing to himself. Specular walked over to him and let out a short snarl of inquiry. Raven looked over now smug, and responded.

"Because Shadow is the only organoid that could ever hope to do what she's trying."

Walking away back to the house now, Raven couldn't help but be impressed. Repairing the Breaker would be one thing, evolving it was an entirely different endeavor to be undertaken. A feat like that would require a massive amount of energy that only Shadow and a Zoidian could hope to reach, much to the dismay of a now irate Specular. The svelte zoid was slightly bothered by her master's choice, though knowing that her power would not have sufficed. Raven walked away towards the house, barely able to contain the excitement, wonder, awe, and general elation at the process that was unfolding and the results that would soon follow.

"Clever girl..."


	4. Red Sky at Morning

The halls of the capital building in New Helic City were the last place peace and quiet were to be had, as dozens of military officers, officials, and staff scurried about the red carpeted halls lined with tall windows, though little light came from them, instead the fluorescent lighting overhead lit the halls. It was 5:30 AM, a fact readily apparent on everyone's faces as they moved, though none moved with such a pace as the two men marching against the general flow of traffic, parting the humans in front of them like the iron bow of a warship would water. One of them, standing nearly half a foot above most others wore an expressionless face apart from sage eyes filled with an air of solemn purpose. His companion was slightly behind him, trying to keep pace as his blue eyes darted about, equally as racing as his mind. Herman and O'Connel had been summoned to the capital building regarding both of them, though the briefing was kept at that, and an underlying sense of suspicion gnawed away at O'Connel. Herman had been piloting one of the Gojulas when the attack took place, though he kept his demeanor stoic and unwavering; this didn't fool O'Connel one bit. He knew he was bottling it up inside, having lost his father, and now his mother? There was no way anyone couldn't be devastated by such events. Even so, the teal haired man did not press the matter nor discuss it. It was an admirable trait, on one hand. To continue onward in spite of personal losses was a quality held in high regard as a soldier, and even higher as a commanding officer.

_"But at what cost? He can't ignore what's happened forever..."_

O'Connel's thoughts were interrupted as Herman turned abruptly and swung open a large wooden door, the brass hinges whining and squeaking as the heavy oak they were attached to moved. As they entered the room, they were greeted by a stark contrast to the busy halls from which they entered. The room was devoid of occupants save themselves and one man already seated. Though the red carpet remained, the walls were a lined with not windows or mundane pictures but bookshelves filled with aged and weathered tomes, filing cabinets neatly lined, though atop were folders and papers haphazardly scattered about, and large elaborate portraits. The office of the president was large, a circular room with a desk on the far side, with a large number of small portraits of the past leaders of the Republic on the walls, and a bay window behind the large mahogany desk. O'Connel walked in with Herman following suit, pausing to shut the door with a loud click as the latch shut. Taking seats in the similarly dark wooden chairs in front of the desk, they sat facing a middle aged man with pale amber eyes and deep indigo hair. His face was slightly silhouetted by sun now peering into the city, though this did not hide the many wrinkles that wore upon it, nor the wide long scar stretching from the lower left corner of his jaw and crossing his face diagonally across his lips as it reached his right cheekbone. He slowly turned and spoke.

"Rob Herman... Major Rob Herman."

His voiced was laden with thinly veiled disdain, gruff and low, calm yet deeply colored with distaste.

"In light of these events, I've taken my duties as Vice President upon me to lead the Republic as needed. And my first act as President will be to order our troops to be stationed as needed to combat the threats I feel are imminent, along with the closing of our borders to any non-Republic citizens as well as the internment of any Imperials or suspected accomplices of the Empire effective immediately."

"Threats, sir? What do you mean?" O'Connel's question was met with a spiteful glance.

"That's none of your concern, _lieutenant._"

The words bit into O'Connel like fangs, the animosity dripping from the man's voice.

"What the hell is going on here Pullerman?!"

"If I were you, Herman, I'd keep my mouth shut and my ass in the chair. Insubordination and emotional outbursts aren't qualities a Major should have if he intends to keep his rank."

Herman gripped the arms of the chair white knuckled, as he slowly forced himself back down. Pullerman had always been one who grated on his nerves with his attitude towards those below him, and now that he was at the top of the hierarchy there was no one immune to his coercion and scorn.

"As I was saying before lieutenant O'Connel so rudely interrupted, in order to combat the growing threat to this country and her people, I am stationing troops where I see fit. With that in mind Herman will be stationed on the northwestern-most end of the Sanders Island, overseeing the shipping and the troops stationed there. Seeing as how you'll need transportation, I've arranged for your Gojulas to be replaced with a Pteras for transporting you. Good thing you won't be seeing any combat, isn't it? Not that you'd be of much use considering the outcome of the parade."

Herman grew livid, and O'Connel winced as he could see the growing rage building. Herman would be smart enough to keep it in check, he hoped.

O'Connel hoped wrong. Herman exploded out of the chair, slamming his hands on the desk and placing his face within inches of Pullerman's, and with a deep breath unleashed a torrent of malice-driven words.

"Tell me right now, why the hell you see it fit to not only disrespect the soldiers of the Republic, but the very peace and prosperity that my mother spent her whole life building?! That the first thing you'd do with your new position is to destroy any semblance of stability this country has and treat anyone who's not a citizen like an enemy of the state and threaten to lock them away?! What kind of disgraceful, arrogant, totalita-"

Herman's enraged dialogue was cut short, his sentence prematurely punctuated by the sharp banging of the door behind him swinging open, a pair of military police rushing in, batons at the ready. Herman spun around, only to be met with a sharp blow to his left side from the nearest guard. Buckling into the blow, Herman swung his right hand and caught the man on the jaw, torque now causing his head to spin abruptly as he staggered back before catching himself on the wall. The man looked up to see his accomplice bring down his baton on Herman's forearm, causing him to shout and clutch it in pain, before several strikes to his thighs and sides brought him to the ground as O'Connel leapt up and kicked forward, propelling the guard back, placing himself in the way of the man and Herman.

"Take these two away. This army has no place for the insubordinate and the emotionally immature."

O'Connel could never in his wildest dreams have imagined the madness that was ensuing.

"Rob, are you ok?"

As O'Connel crouched down and extended his hand, Herman grasped it fiercely and allowed himself to be assisted up.

"Come on now, you know we've been through worse."

O'Connel let out a small huff of air, what would have been a slight chuckle if the situation were different. As another three MP's showed up, the two were handcuffed behind their backs, Herman walking with a slow, somewhat staggered gait as the two were lead away. Herman looked back and shouted:

"Just you wait Pullerman! I'm going to bring that office down on top of your head along with this whole fucking building!"

Pullerman walked up to the two doors and shut them with a heavy click, and an additional click as the deadbolt was slid into back to his chair, he sat down and the traces of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Not before I bring down the Empire, Herman. Not until then."

_**AN: Sorry for the relative shortness of the chapter, I've been in a rut with how to play this scene out and build up Pullerman's character.**_


	5. A Harbinger Awakens

It had been five days since Fiona and Zeke had been fused into the Blade Liger, and everyone around was impatient though none so much as Van. Being away from his girlfriend and organoid for so long was taking a toll, and if one were to look for Van the most commonly given reply would be to "check the hangar, he's probably pacing still".

This was no surprise to Dr. D, who upon hearing that a zoid, no less the Blade Liger, was evolving took it upon himself to immediately rush over to the base to find out the details, and more importantly see the zoid for himself. Walking into the hangar true to the guard's words was a pacing Van, hands leisurely on the back of his head as he strolled.

"Well well, they weren't kidding me when they said I'd find you pacing!"

Van turned and his features lit up as he recognized the old man.

"Dr. D! What are you doing here?! And who said I'd been pacing?"

"Well just about everyone I've talked to today, said you've been restless and took up living in the hangar."

Van chuckled a bit, though he couldn't argue with the truth behind the words.

"I can't wait to see what it looks like when it comes out, and I especially can't wait to see how powerful it'll become. What brings you out here?"

"It's safe to say I'm here for the same reasons you are, and as this is the only time I've ever heard of a zoid evolving _twice_, I'm eager to add this to my portfolio of research! What an amazing phenomenon, and it's no surprise to see the great hero Van Flyheight as the proud pilot of such a mighty zoid!"

Van laughed, but then stopped in a small moment of inspiration.

"Hey Doc, Rudolf tasked us with finding Raven and Reese. Fiona and I were about to head out before her and Zeke fused to the Liger, and I could use all the help available in finding him. Is there anything you can do to help me out here? I've got no idea where to go.

Dr. D paused, and brought his hand to his chin and looked down, the wrinkles on his face tightening with concentration as his brow furrowed deep in thought. Closing his eyes for a moment, they suddenly popped open with a new found mental clarity.

"Ah ha! I've got it! Raven's Geno Breaker, as all other zoids using the charged particle weaponry have a very unique radiation signature about them. This radiation fades at a rather quick rate, though this is the traces found in the aftermath of various attacks by the Geno Saurers and Death Stinger, so it's only a residue. I hypothesize that if one were to, calculating for the various residues potentially present from the massive attacks of the Death Saurer and Death Stinger, calculate both the consistent signature locations and their general path, be able to find a rough direction of either where Raven is headed, where he is, or at the very least where he's been."

Van beamed in both shock and glee at Dr. D's plan.

"Alright, now that's what I like to hear. How can we track the radiation then?"

"Just you leave that to me! We already know the sites of the Death Saurer and Death Stinger's attacks and their paths, so that cuts out quite a bit of work. The only hard part will be hoping that the Geno Breaker is even active, much less emitting a strong enough level of radiation to easily track. But, you just leave that to me! I'm sure you'll have your own work cut out for you when the Liger finally comes out of-"

A deep, loud humming noise began to reverberate from the ball of swirling energy, as if hearing Dr. D's very words in a moment of coincidence. The hum grew louder and deeper, causing machinery to shake and various tools to clatter to the ground, and in a great burst of white it flared outwards, splashing without noise or effect upon the other zoids and equipment and bays in the hangar. When the blinding white had subsided, Van's jaw dropped as Dr. D looked on with eyes wide as saucers, the heads of every mechanic and officer and pilot in the large room now affixed to the location of the zoid.

What stood before them was no mere Liger.

It stood at least a head taller than the previous one, though was much more lithe and organic in appearance. The lower limbs now clad in brilliant blue armor, smoother and more rounded than before. Gaps in the armor revealed venting in the dark gray frame beneath, the gaps bordered by white with thin gold filigree throughout. Golden claws were long and curved, the blunt ends from the previous incarnation replaced by lethally pointed tips. The shoulders were no longer flanked by long white and blue grating, but solid blue armor that sloped backwards, with a pair of white strips of armor lifted up revealing a pair of small cannons, similar to the 20mm cannons that were on the stomach. The shock cannon in question on the belly was now gone, replaced instead by a white crest of armor, this too swirling and spiraling with gold patterning. The blades and their mounts were considerably larger, the blades themselves longer and wider, a clearly angled edge present, and the guns along their shaft gone. The attack boosters mounted on the pivots had also gained considerable size; a heavy cannon roughly 100mm mounted on each of their front behind a covering of white armor that was opened. The torso was overall longer, the thruster pack on the back was no longer concealed but a lean armored pair of boosters mounted on a swiveling joint, the front of which was open displaying a set of ten missile tubes. The hind legs were thick and powerful, and armored similarly to the front, while the tail was all but identical save the tip; it was now a long, dagger like blue piece framed yet again by white. The head could only be described as regal, the mane of armor around it was slightly shorter yet thicker, a blue plate of armor covering the golden canopy save for two gleaming eyes as a result of the sharp triangular openings. The long flanges of blue and white around the head were stout as they flared open individually, an amber shield flickering into existence for a moment in front as they glowed with energy, and the red gyro caps whirred to life. Its nose was now less tapered, shorter in line with the rest of the face's features. The fangs were shorter, though by no means less imposing as rows of golden jags appeared as the Liger opened its mouth and loosed a deafening roar.

"I.. I can't believe... Zeke..? Fiona?"

Van was completely in shock at the resplendent zoid in front of him. Never before had he seen such an amazing sight, a machine invoking the connotations of royalty, power, and grace. The Liger crouched low, and dipped its head down. With a hiss, the blue plate atop the head opened up, and Fiona carefully stepped out. In a burst of blue, Zeke appeared by the Liger's head and roared with delight at seeing Van.

Van, now in full sprint, threw his arms around Zeke.

"Zeke! You amazing, brilliant zoid you!"

"Van."

Turning now, Van's face was plastered with a huge smile at seeing Fiona, who returned in kind with a gentle curve of her lips. Walking to her, he embraced her tightly, before pulling back slightly to place his forehead to hers.

"Fiona.. I had no idea you can Zeke could have done this! This zoid is amazing, I thought the Blade Liger looked good but this thing looks fit for royalty! Thank you, so much..."

Fiona let out a small giggle, kissing him before she buried her head into his chest.

"Of course. You'll need it after all. The night before me and Zeke merged, I had a... premonitions, of sorts. I dreamed you and Raven would battle again soon, and knew the Blade Liger wouldn't be close to a match."

"Close to a match? Why do you say that?"

"Suffice to say, you weren't the only one with a new zoid in that dream. I saw it vaguely... Large, red and silver, like the Geno Breaker but..."

"Bigger, stronger, and meaner?"

"Well, simply put, yes."

Van's face lit up with excitement.

"Well come on then, let's go see what Raven and that new zoid have in store for us!"

"You're not going anywhere soon, Flyheight!"

Dr. D made his way towards them, eyeing the new Liger with great interest.

"Not until you've shown us all what this new zoid of yours can do, and not until I run _at least_ basic tests on it. Besides, you haven't even named it! What kind of pilot are you, running around with a no-name zoid?"

Well, he _did_ have a point. It was certainly no Blade Liger anymore. But what was it, exactly?

Van pondered for a moment, unsure of what to call the new feline. Turning to Zeke and Fiona, he questioned them.

"What do you two think it should be called? You're the creators after all, it's only fair you get a say."

Closing her crimson eyes for a moment, Fiona dipped her head in thought. It was a very careful process she and Zeke had gone through, taking knowledge of Ancient Zoidian designs and Van's combat style, intent on birthing a zoid fit for arguably the most powerful fighter known on Zi. Lifting her head up and opening her eyes, she had made a decision.

"...King Liger."

"Well miss Fiona, that's quite a fitting name for such a beast! Let's hope it lives up to the title, eh? Now come with me, all of you. I've got some diagnostics to run and some trials for you to outperform, as I've already anticipated. Out to the firing range!"

Dr. D now swiftly paced out of the hangar with a beckoning swing of his arm, exiting through the doorway he came out of as the steel door slid shut with a hiss.

"Well Fiona, care to give me a tour of the King Liger?"

Fiona smiled warmly at Van, grasped his hand and led him to the cockpit. As Van jumped inside first, he noticed the size of the cockpit had increased by a noticeable amount from the previous incarnation. As Fiona climbed into the seat behind him, Van began to take in the surroundings. The handles to activate the blades were still there, as was the throttle handle for the boosters. On the central control column there were several buttons, as well as two triggers on each side. The most significant change so far was there were no monitors of any kind to display the outside, or even the zoid's standard readings of systems and weaponry. Van, confused, hit the close canopy button in its familiar place. As the metal lid shut and darkness surrounded the two occupants Van's entire vision lit up as the entire cockpit lid in front of him flashed to life as the hangar was now displayed on a massive screen. Multiples lines of text appeared on the bottom, listing out the armaments and their munitions count, current power levels, as well as a status indicator of vital systems and the Liger itself along with a myriad of other technical readings. A large rotating circle composed of three separate segments began quickly flashing about, identifying zoids in front of him, with light orange markers appearing on potential targets on their frames. Van looked down, and hit the "clear target" button, in the same spot it had always been.

Pushing the controls forward, the Liger strode ahead tall and bold as Van maneuvered it outside of the hangar and into the firing range, eager to see what was in store.

"Alright Van, let's see how well those shiny new cannons do!" Dr. D's voice over the loudspeaker went silent, as a klaxon wailed and eight large posts with steel targets on them raised out of the sand, pocked with dents and sporting a few holes. Targeting the nearest one, the circle in front of Van's vision sped over and highlighted the target in red, and as Van pulled the top left trigger the cannons on the Liger's shoulders popped open and loosed a half dozen shells, their concussive blasts bending the target to and fro before it entirely flew off its post. Firing again, the King Liger proceeded to destroy each target outright, sending shreds of metal and shell fragments about, the air glittering with red hot spalling and dust. Again the klaxon sounded, and another four posts raised up. Pulling the right top trigger on the quickly acquired targets, the front of the attack boosters opened up, and the 100mm shells thundered out from the short barrels and destroyed the targets in a sharp detonation. Van grinned and let out a huff of air.

"C'mon Doc, give me something better to do other than shoot targets! I could do this in my sleep."

Dr. D didn't reply, but instead the klaxon again sounded off, and after a moment several hundred feet ahead, a pair of Gojulas appeared as lifts below the firing range craned them to the surface. Both zoids roared and lumbered forward, the drone-like sleeper computer taking control. The King Liger lunged forward, weaving around the hail of cannon fire from the Gojulas armaments, taking extra care to avoid the thundering Super in on the left zoid, the Liger slipped left and leapt over the swinging tail of the beast, and rained a hail of fire on its back. Craning its head and roaring, the Gojulas turned its now damaged and smoldering backside to face the Liger again. As the cannons on its back aimed down the Liger's mane flared out. The shells exploded in front of the Liger as the amber shield appeared in front of it, the multi-faceted surface absorbing the impact and the explosions. Without warning, there was a sharp crack as a bullet lodged into the shield, sizzling as the energy now began to cut into it, the round falling in halves as the shield regained its whole form.

"A round piercing the shield, that can only be-"

"Van, Gun Sniper. nine O'clock!"

The zoid in question was perched along the wall to his left, now taking aim again. Dropping the shield and lowering the blades on its side, the Liger leapt forward as they burned bright with energy. The Liger jumped at an angle, for a moment the front claws dug into the metal of the Gojulas' thigh, pulling it forward and the right blade towards the zoid's torso. Severing the lower half of the arm, the King Liger kicked off with its rear legs on the beast's thigh again, driving the blade into the chest as it cut out a great scoop of metal and mechanisms as the Liger bounded left away from it. The rest of the arm fell to the sands, the Gojulas bellowing with dismay at the damage as the second one rounded about.

_Crack!_ The round from the Gun Sniper narrowly missed, reminding Van again of the raptor's presence. The second Gojulas swung its great tail to the right, the small weapons covering it firing away hoping to score a mark on the Liger. Leaping over the tail, the rounds crackled as they peppered the Liger with no effect. The pair of cannons on the boosters launched shells that exploded near the face, blinding the target momentarily. Seeing his chance, Van charged ahead blades glowing and cut deep into the knee of the tyrannosaur, the left blade crackling and hissing at the resistance before pushing it through and severing the lower left leg completely and to great effect. A long wailing roar was loosed as the the Gojulas slowly began to topple, the joints in the remaining leg squealing and groaning with distress as they snapped, crushed by the lateral movement they were now forced to take, as the zoid's remaining leg collapsed along with the rest of it in a deafening crash.

_Crack!_ This time the round struck the severed limb of the Gojulas, just a short distance from the Liger's head. A roar brought attention to the remaining Gojulas, seemingly vindictive of the loss of its arm. Van crouched in time for the Super Cannon shells to streak over the Liger, exploding a distance behind it. As the Liger rushed forward, Van engaged the thrusters and flipped the blades forward as the feline crouched and rocketed upwards towards the head of the towering saurian zoid. The tyrannosaur roared again, with the untimely act costing it as the left blade speared into its mouth, exiting the back of its head as the top portion was cut asunder from the rest of it, the lower jaw dangling now as the rest of the mostly-headless zoid's body went limp and collapsed in a heap to the ground, the severed head following suit. Eyeing in front of him, Van's attention was now on the lone Gun Sniper dead ahead. Pulling the lower left trigger the front covering of the thruster pack slid open, and a volley of ten missiles rushed forward in a flash of smoke. The small raptor zoid in front of him took notice and disengaged from its grounded position and turned in an attempt to get away, an attempt than proved futile as the group of missiles barraged into the small zoid's left side, sending it shrieking and smoldering from the wall in presumably a disabled state behind it.

"Very good Van, though it seems you've gotten a bit rusty! What do they have you doing nowadays anyways, hmm? The Van Flyheight _I remember_ could have taken out twice as many zoids in half the time!"

Van sighed, eliciting a small giggle from Fiona and a grumble from Zeke.

"Not much at all, so I hope Raven's got something in store for me, I'm just itching for another battle!"

"Well we ought to get on our way to rendezvous with Colonel Schubaltz then, I think we've certainly kept him waiting long enough."

Glancing back at Fiona, the black haired man grinned in affirmation; Raven wasn't going to find himself! Well, maybe he would. He _did _have a penchant for grandeur and destruction after all, and gods know how he'd react if he was getting a more powerful zoid. Hell, he'd be like a child in a candy shop. If the child was actually a man, and the candy was targets to be vaporized. "_Well ok, maybe not like a _kid_ in a _candy_ shop, but still..."_

"Ready, Zeke?"

A roar from the core of the King Liger was confirmation enough from the silver tyrannosaur. In the corner of the cockpit screen, a small map appeared scattered with blue dots connected by faint blue lines of varying intensities, though one large dot was present in a far desert corner near the border of the Empire and Republic, brighter than the rest.

"I've taken the liberty to send you the map of possible locations of Raven's Geno Breaker, though as you've seen the most likely location is the largest signature; it's not only a charged particle radiation hot spot, but a recent energy spike of both thermal and light signatures is also present there. Unnerving as it is, I must warn you that such a signature is typical of what we've seen of evolution cocoons. The other signatures are faint, I believe those to be the results of previous charged particle blasts from the Death Stinger and its paths, as a zoid that size surely produced a large amount of radiation exhaust as well as residue from weaponry. Be careful Van, I've still got more of that Liger to see, now you and Miss Fiona take plenty of care now!"

Dr. D's voice ceased as the com channel clicked off, the lengthy verbosity of his information still being digested by Van, who after a moment of trying to decipher the large amount of unfamiliar jargon opted instead for the simpler, more user-friendly choice of looking at the map. The large blip was quite obvious, as the other lines and dots were of far smaller size and saturation, pastel compared to the royal blue intensity of the signature.

"Alrighty, 1500 miles northeast it is. Fiona, I hope you brought a book because this is gonna take us quite a while!"

The King Liger bounded forward past the wreckage of the Gojulas, and with a single thruster-assisted leap cleared the steel wall of the firing range, landing gracefully on the other side running. Heading towards the marker on the map, Van's stomach churned with anxiety and excitement. Fiona looked down from her seat at him, and the edges of her lips curled warmly at him. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around him.

"_Oh Van, I'm so glad to see you piloting again. I hope this meeting with Raven goes better than it did in my dreams, that's for certain..."_

Raven eyed the crystal containing Reese and Shadow with increasing scrutiny. It had been five days since the two of them had fused, and his patience was wearing thin as his curiosity turned into thinly veiled irritation. Leaning over and stoking the fire pit, he turned his attention to the sky. The night was clear of cloud and black, the inky abyss the result of both of Zi's moons being new; no light from the sun reflected off either celestial body. The stars were glowing bright, and Raven reached a hand towards them. So bright. So close... A blue blur to his left caught his attention; not a star, but Specular, and within her claws and talons was a large spherical object, covered in hexagonal tiles and glowing bright white. This was the second zoid core she'd brought; but why?

"_Multiple zoid cores? Just what are they doing in there? How powerful will this new zoid be if it needs three cores?"_

Glowing with energy, the blue tyrannosaur soared at the cocoon, phasing into it and then quickly out the other side, the core deposited somewhere within. Soaring over, she landed a short distance from Raven and walked over. He'd noticed how strange it was, that both her and her owner were almost silent as they moved; the azure creature's joints and feet making less than half the noise Shadow had. She made him always a slight uneasy, showing little emotion beyond care for Reese. Well, not that Shadow was an overflowing fountain of expression himself. Nudging him with her snout, Raven placed a hand on it and felt a strange surge move through him. Suddenly, he felt two presence's in the back of his mind.

"_Shadow? Reese?"_

No reply was voiced, but instead a strange feeling set in. They were well, yet tired. Unable to reply as the two egos slipped away as Specular retracted her touch, Raven sighed. Turning his gaze back to the stars, he reached out a scarred hand again.

"_If only I could reach them..."_ He shifted his attention to the cocoon.

"You two had better hurry up."


	6. Release and Redemption

The Republican base where Herman and O'Connel were being kept was unusually quiet that night, Herman couldn't help but notice as he lay in the shabby cot. While it was expected to be quiet, the clock on the wall reading 3:26 AM, he couldn't help but glean from the scarce patrols and even scarcer harassing from the guards that tonight was somehow different. Staring at the ceiling, visions of the parade swarmed his mind as they always had every night since. The look of fear on his mother's face, the flash of the explosion, the fire that consumed the car and its wreckage, and his absolute helplessness in watching from the towering zoid he was commanding. Ironic, it seemed. Being behind the controls of an immensely powerful zoid, and being in control of nothing. Tears slid from behind eyelids that were clamped shut in frustration and despair, and sharp inhalations through his nose were the only thing keeping the sobs at bay.

"Mom... I'm so sorry..."

A sudden commotion snapped him out of his sorrows and into a heightened awareness. As the red alarm's lights flashed lighting the dark halls, klaxons blared out their wailing warnings as the guards rushed out of the room, utterly confused as to the cause of the sirens. Leaping out of the cot, Herman rushed to the bars of the cell door, hoping to find some kind of answer to the chaos. A single masked soldier ran over to his cell, and before Herman could speak he was commanded:

"Back up! This will be quick."

The voice was familiar, Herman knew he'd met this man before... The man slid open the sole of his boot and removed a gum-like substance from within, pulling it into two pieces and placing one on the lock of the door, before stepping back against a wall out of sight. As Herman moved to the corner of the cell and crouched into it, he heard a sharp bang, then another. The crude hole allowed Herman to swing the door open, in time to see the man begin to move, beckoning him to follow.

"Come on Herman, we need to go now!"

"But O'Connel!"

"Right here sir!"

The lieutenant was present at his side quickly, no doubt freed the same way Herman had been.

"Alright, before we move one foot you're telling us who you are right now!"

Grabbing his mask and peeling it off, the man's face was revealed. Sharp tan features and even sharper grey eyes were clues to his identity, an orange headband driving the suspicion further, but the immediate identifier to Herman was the strange eye-patch he wore, three small red lenses mounted in a rough triangle.

"Irvine?! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here to bust you two out of here, now c'mon, we've gotta go now before someone see-"

"Stop right there!"

Groaning with irritation, Irvine rounded to face the soldier in the doorway, who was now reaching for his handgun. Leaping forward, Irvine grabbed the man's wrist seeking the weapon and swung his right hand, punching the man. Grabbing behind his neck now he thrust a knee forward sharply into his stomach, dropping the man and his chance of subduing them.

"See what I'm talking about? You guys are just _magnets_ for bad shit, you know that?"

Herman and O'Connel both followed Irvine through the corridors, and with a stroke of luck in the frenzy no one noticed as they slipped out a door to the motor pool. Climbing into a jeep, Irvine commanded them to keep their heads down as he started it up and drove through the locked gate, the chain link metal fence buckling quickly to the oncoming vehicle. After a moment, Herman gripped the top of the roll cage on the car and pulled himself up and over into the passenger's seat, O'Connel keeping a lookout in the rear of the vehicle.

"Alright Irvine, now that we're out of there do you mind telling us exactly what's going on? How'd you find us, and why'd you come to our rescue?"

"Moonbay and I heard of the news involving the President, and after hearing of your arrest from radio transmissions we knew something had to be up. We tripped the alarm system inside the base, and took advantage of the panic to bail you two out of there. We'll meet up with Moonbay shortly, she's up ahead a couple miles on the clifftop overlooking the base. I take it neither of you have zoids?"

"That's a negative, I've got no idea where they took them after they locked us up. O'Connel, you have any idea?"

"Not at all sir, I know about as much as you do."

"Hmmph. In that case we may have to borrow some from the Empire, seeing as how there's no chance you'll find sanctuary in the Republic after this."

Herman frowned. Well, Irvine _was_ right. But that didn't make it anymore unsettling of a thought, being a wanted man in the country he had defended for a living. The jeep raced along the desert, eventually winding its way up a steep rocky precipice where atop a maroon and olive colored zoid sat, the insectoid reminiscent of a woodlouse. On the trailer behind it stood a lithe feline graced with black armor with dashes of red about, orange eyes still quite distinct in the darkness. The Lightning Saix was after all this time still one impressive zoid to behold, capable of outrunning anything its mercenary pilot couldn't outwit or out-gun. The hatch of the Gustav opened up, and as the transporter-turned-adventurer stepped out, Irvine walked over.

"We're here Moonbay!"

"Oh thanks hun, I couldn't see those bright headlights in the pitch black out here or anything. Herman! O'Connel! Get your asses over here, we've got places to be ya know!"

Laughing out a sigh, Herman put his hand on O'Connel's shoulder as the two walked over.

"Good to see you too Moonbay, how goes the fortune hunt?"

"Oh, glorious, can't you see by my shiny new coat of paint on the Gustav and this _lovely_ tiara I'm wearing?"

"Oh come on Moonbay, it's not his fault you can't find work and have to live off me being a hired gun."

"_Well_, maybe if my high and mighty boyfriend didn't _wreck_ all the zoids he's faced _maybe_ I could make a few bucks from the parts and weapons!"

As Irvine opened his mouth to retort, Moonbay quickly shushed him with a finger to his lips, before replacing it with her mouth. Irvine, thoroughly distracted from his previous tangent, now walked towards the Saix and began scaling the left front leg to reach the cockpit. At the zoid's shoulder, he suddenly stopped and looked out to the base they had previous escaped from. Adjusting his eyepatch to zoom in, he called out.

"Hey! You guys had better look at this. Moonbay, what the hell did you do when you tripped the alarm?!"

"What do you mean what did I-huh?!"

Moonbay's attention was now completely on the base below, as the main building burst open from a massive explosion within. As fire and smoke plumed outwards, secondary explosions took place as the facilities nearby detonated, ammunition cooking off adding to the deep, thundering booms as various ordinance crackled and burst. The fire spread outwards as it claimed the infrastructure of the buildings, the blazing structures beginning to crumble and collapse.

"What the _hell?! _I sent the signal to sound the alarm, not to blow the whole place to bloody bits!"

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean?! Of course I'm sure! I sounded the alarm, you two escape, and not twenty minutes later the whole place explodes!"

O'Connel eyed the building with care, noting the distinct pattern and locations the explosions occurred.

"That wasn't an accident. That base self destructed."

Moonbay glanced over at O'Connel, a look of surprise now on her face.

"What? How can you be sure?"

"The standard method of chaining the charges is to destroy the main building first, then secondary charges will level any outer facilities the main explosion couldn't. It was designed to eliminate as much of a chance as possible that any valuable information or equipment could be stolen by the Empire. But why do it? Why destroy an entire base?"

"Because you and I were supposed to be destroyed with it."

"What do you mean Rob?"

"I've got a theory that the reason the base was destroyed was precisely because the alarm was tripped. Someone watching the base's systems must have seen the alarm go off, and knowing we were there destroyed the base remotely." Moonbay looked at the ground, fighting back nausea.

"_Someone... just killed everyone in that base to try to kill two men?" _Irvine, as far away as he was, looked equally unsettled. He'd known how dirty war was, but this was too much. Glancing at O'Connel's shocked expression, Herman spoke.

"Come on. We'd better go before the patrols come. I know where we can go, there's a joint military base just inside the Empire's border, the Balfurg research station."

Climbing into the Gustav's cockpit now as Irvine jumped inside the Lightning Saix, the group turned about and began to move south down the cliff, towards the border. Sighing, Herman leaned against the side of the cockpit, attempting to get some sleep as Moonbay sung along her infamous transporter song, and O'Connel gave her directions to the Balfurg base, which led to a disharmonious sound to say the least. As he drifted off to sleep, a gentle smile fell on his face as he relaxed.

"_It's good to be around those two again..."_

As day broke, O'Connel and Herman woke to the sun beginning to peer above the horizon, and green surrounding them. They had moved from the desert to a winding forest path, surrounded by tall, thick pines and rolling grasslands. The sweet scent of rain was fresh, though the ground was barely damp as Herman stepped out.

"_We're still not across the border... This is risky business."_ Irvine and Moonbay sat outside the Gustav around a coffee pot on a small propane burner. Joining them, as they sat about and drank coffee, discussing the current events that had befallen them.

"So the Vice President really arrested you two after all that? That's insane! See, this is why I don't vote."

"I'm with Moonbay, I don't see how you two would even consider being a part of the Republic if that asshole is in charge."

Herman's eyes narrowed as he laughed cynically, and responded:

"Pullerman was a high ranking officer before he went into politics. He originally was stationed near the Wind Colony, and when Dan Flyheight and Colonel Halford had captured an organoid pod before the Imperial army arrived to take it, he was overseeing operations. A lot of people had told rumors that he was pretty shook up when Dan sacrificed himself to stop the Empire, and Halford made sure to mention their intention of attacking the colony as well. Throw that together with the way the Empire used to handle insurrection and their coercion, and you've got the makings of one jaded, bitter general. All throughout the time my parents were leaders, he'd always pitch the most violent ideas to destroy the Empire completely. He'd always have this attitude 'It's gonna be us or them, you've seen what they do' and I think the years have let that philosophy ferment a bit too long in his head. Not to mention he's a dictator to anyone below him and a sycophant to any above, but now he's top dog in the pack and that's got me worried."

"Violent ideas? You make it sound as if no one in a war room ever though to shoot a gun, how could his ideas be _violent?_"

"Hmmph. You'd call the Empire pacifists if you heard his ideas. Civilian targets, false flag operations, execution of prisoners of war, thankfully no one ever took his proposals seriously, and how he'd stayed in office is beyond me. But he eventually worked his way through the ranks just like he did in the army and found a seat as the Vice President. He seemed to have calmed a bit on the aggression towards the Empire, but now this..."

Moonbay looked quite focused, and Irvine's eyes popped in a moment of clarity.

"You don't think that he-?"

"Think that he what?" Irvine glowered at Moonbay's interruption.

"Oh, hi, I'm Irvine, I'm the guy that doesn't interrupt people when he's talking, _you must be the other girl_."

"Oh shut up with your sassing me and get on with it!"

"Anyways, you two don't think he had something to do with the attack, do you? I mean I don't know the guy but it sounds like an assassination disguised as an enemy attack is just what he'd be up to, doesn't it?"

Herman and O'Connel both gaped. How could it have passed under their noses, just like that? The idea, that the wretched man who had just imprisoned him and demoted O'Connel, had killed his mother... A deep wave of nausea overcame Herman as he rushed away to a nearby bush, vomiting what little there was in his stomach onto the ground. He walked back slowly now, still shaken by the prospect.

"Oh shit... Herman, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, Irvine. It's not your fault. It's his... I sure hope Rudolf has a position open for me, because I'm going to stop that sick excuse of a human being myself, Republic be damned!"

"Woah, hold on Rob!" O'Connel was quick to try to calm Herman before he made a rash decision. "Listen, I know we can't go back to the Republic. But that doesn't mean we can just abandon it. We've got a duty to bring what happened to light and to prevent a war from breaking out. We've gotta do it for her... It's what she'd have wanted us to do."

Herman paused, then sighed. "Sorry O'Connel. You're right. I'm letting my temper get the better of me." O'Connel did not reply but smiled, and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Moonbay looked around suddenly, having heard a loud thud. Was that a zoid?

"Halt! Under order of the Republic Army, you are to surrender immediately for the crimes of aiding the Empire in destruction of a military installation, and are hereby responsible for the deaths of those in the base and at the attack in the capital city!"

The speaker made himself present, the pilot of a Gordos that lumbered through the opposite side of the road, the great whining and cracking of trees as they bent under its girth, foliage underfoot crushed even further as a pair of Command Wolves followed suit. The two white zoids were armed with the basic weaponry, though the Gordos had a pair of Super Cannons affixed to its sides as they aimed with threatening intent at the four now standing against the Gustav.

"Surrender immediately, or face the conseque-" His sentence was ended prematurely as a quartet of blazing yellow rounds streaked in from their left and struck the side of the Gordos, sending it onto its side with a furious roar. The two Command Wolves immediately snapped their attention to the attacker, to face a great black and green bison bristling with weapons.

"This is Thomas Richard Schubaltz of the Guardian Force, you are hereby ordered to surrender yourselves immediately for the attack of four of our members without provocation!"

"Damn it Thomas, I'm not a member of the Guardian Force!"

Ignoring Irvine, Thomas aimed the cannons at the Command Wolves, who after a moment lunged at him snarling. Thomas smirked to himself. "_They must be new to this whole fighting thing if they think they'll win._" Three deep reports from the shock cannon on the Dibison's belly struck the left wolf sending it down face-first as its left foreleg was blown off, a hole in its chest and another in the left shoulder also blasted out. The other canine had closed the distance quickly, rounding right on Thomas and biting down on the bovine's rear leg. Shaking him off, the Dibison kicked hard backwards and caught the zoid squarely in the chest, denting and cracking the metal as shards of white filled the air like steely snow. Turning about face, the Dibison bellowed its cry, a challenge to the Command Wolf.

"How dare you interfere with our business! I'll kill you for that!"

"Heh heh." Thomas laughed to himself. "I was thinking just the same thing."

The wolf lunged forward snarling with rage, and lunged at the Dibison's face. This move would prove to be a dire mistake, and with a surprisingly fast reaction the bison whipped its head to the left in a U-shape, the great steely horn tearing up into the Command Wolf's throat and exited through the top. With a great heave, the Dibison slung the Command Wolf hard off its horn and slammed it into the ground, the force destroying what fragile metal there was keeping the head connected as it tore away as the decapitated body crumpled, red now staining the orange glass as the head bounced a distance away.

A pair of sharp explosions nearby rocked the Dibison, turning to see the Gordos had righted itself, though poor aim from the pilot proved to be Thomas' luck.

"The Gordos?! Damn it to hell... BEEK! Get ready for a Megalo Max!" The seventeen circles on the cockpit display all affixed themselves to on the Gordos as the cannons glowed with power. "FIRE!" The cluster of guns on the Dibison fired off a wave of rounds, which soon diffused and struck the Gordos all over, striking joints, weapons, and limbs. With a groan, the zoid collapsed into a smoking sparking heap on the ground.

"That'll show those buffoons not to mess with the prestigious Thomas Schubaltz!"

"Hey Thomas, you done yet?!"

Opening the cockpit and climbing out, the blonde haired man ran over to the group with a grin on his face.

"I've _finally_ found you two! Do you even _know _how hard it is to track you down? I feel like I'd have a better chance of finding Raven than I did you, and this was just pure luck!"

"Oh yeah Thomas, it's great to see you too." Moonbay's irritated response fell on deaf ears as the man's attention was quickly diverted to Herman and O'Connel.

"Herman, O'Connel? Last I heard you two were thrown in a jail at some base, what happened?"

"I'll skip to the details later, but suffice to say that O'Connel and I were framed, and it seems the Republic is gearing for war with the fronting of false flags blamed on the Empire, and apparently us as well."

"It's just as we've feared then. Come on, we'd better get going before another patrol arrives. The soldiers I've been escorting are about fifteen miles north of here, I came here to deal with this patrol that had been chasing us, funny that I happened to save you all at the same time!"

"Oh can it Thomas," Moonbay was growing more and more irked by his attitude. "And get your ass off your high horse and let's all get out of here, you can brag about your saving our butts later! We're on our way to the Balfurg station, you coming with us or not?"

"Excellent idea, that'll be a safe place for all of us and a good place to recoup and plan out next move!" Thomas replied with a big grin, and headed back to the Dibison.

"Herman, O'Connel, I'll have a pair of Saber Tigers for you to use once we meet up with the squad further up ahead. I have a feeling we're gonna need a lot of capable soldiers real soon." And with that the Dibison plodded along, the Gustav soon catching up alongside it as they continued south to the border.


	7. Death God Reborn

In the middle of the oasis, the glowing red crystal had been sending out a deep humming, much to Raven's interest. Specular had not brought anymore zoid cores, yet had now and then pressed her snout to Raven's arm, again letting him sense Shadow and Reese's presences. They were better now, the previous zoid core having apparently fueled them for the final process. When that would begin was far beyond Raven's guess, but with growing impatience about the new creation, he hoped it would be soon as he leaned back against the chair he sat on inside the kitchen. A whining growl to his left from Specular garnered his attention. The organoid often chose to simply growl messages, instead of the typical mental link an organoid would share with its master. Maybe she just didn't want to talk, he mused.

"I know, Specular. They've been gone for a week now. I... I miss her too. Now don't go telling anyone that, alright? I'm trusting you on that one." The organoid let out a stuttering hiss. Was she laughing at him? She pressed her snout again to his hand, and a tugging feeling grow in the back of his mind. It was warm, fluttery, and... happy? Raven's cheeks were tinged red as he realized the betrayal that had occurred.

"Hey, I said not to tell, damn it! Hmph, last time I'm putting any faith in you, traitor." Raven's griping was met with another staccato hiss, the amused azure dinosaur slipping her way out the doorway with a quiet grace. Raven felt the inside of his stomach sink. "_The first time I try to be civil with that lousy zoid and the first thing she does is tell Reese I miss her?! Ugh, good thing I've never actually talked to her. Maybe she didn't find out...__"_

A bright flashing outside caught Raven's attention as the cocoon stirred. Rushing outside, the crystal began a pulsing hum, the color brightening to a scarlet hue as thin cracks spread slowly over the surface at the top, snaking downwards and spreading as blinding white began seeping through the crevices until the whole cocoon burst open, the shards moving not outwards but up as they disintegrated into a red shaft of energy, crackling as it speared upwards to the skies. Opening his eyes at the absence of the bright light, his lips parted as his mouth opened in a silent expression of awe.

The beast that was before him and Specular was far beyond any zoid he'd ever seen before. It was taller now, its head level with where the Geno Breaker's thrusters would be. The whole zoid was much less brutish than before, almost organic in appearance, as if the primal ancestor of all tyrannosaurus zoids. The legs longer and more lean, thighs covered in blood red armor that enveloped them completely except for the flaps that opened showing a pair of thrusters in the back, a trace of dark silver along the edges of the metal. The venting along them was nowhere near as obtrusive, and the squared knee armor was instead sharp and triangular, the short narrow point bordered by silver again. The lower legs were tapered more than before, the weapon binders gone and the ankle boosters were augmented by three flaps encircling them to vector the thrust. The feet were slimmer in line with the legs, dark silver talons even more imposing than previously, and the silver footlocks remained. The arms too were longer and more limber, the shoulders capped by sharp angular red and silver while the forearms were somewhat tube-like with sharp ends on the elbows similar to the knees with a pair of small boosters mounted there as well. The silver clawed hands lifted slightly to produce a pair of barrels, 50mm machine guns mounted below the three fingered hands inside the arm. The body was longer, and where the cockpit hatch was in the Geno Breaker there was nothing but armor, triangular and shaped like the bow of a warship; silver metal gracing the sides as well as a strip down the front. The tail was changed as well with overlapping plates of armor covering the vents, the upper halves sliding over the bottom ones. The backpack was lower in profile and the boosters on it were now a pair of long, angular tapered pods, the top and bottom of each one flaring open to reveal the engine nozzles within, silver edges flashing in the sun. The shields on the claws were more elongated, and the weapon binders on the legs had seemingly moved locations to the inside of the shield; though the barrels were now folded backwards, the quartet of 150mm cannons concealed otherwise. The great silver claws between the guns and the shield now flipped out with an ominous sound not unlike a massive knife being unsheathed. They weren't as curved as before, the shallow curve ending about a third of the way down the blade before it continued straight forward into a razor sharp point and the edge continuing all the way along the back of the blade. The serrations were present, though in the form of additional metal bolted onto the sides of the blades, the triangular jags facing rearwards and interlocking together like teeth. The zoid turned its head, which was no longer the boxy shape before but now more sharp and angular, a sleeker jawline and rows of sharp teeth commanding attention. The brilliant sapphire eyes, sharp triangles, glowed as the long blade on its head flipped forward displaying the crest; the square ridges on it now long and narrow like spikes. The lavender gyro caps slowly rotated as the zoid shifted, taking a few steps forward before stopping and looking at Raven.

As the maverick gazed in awe of the massive tyrannosaurus in front of him, the crimson and silver zoid roared and craned its head up high. A blue burst shot out from the center, materializing into Shadow who quickly collapsed as panels all over his chest flared open as Reese rolled out, the two of them exhausted from the immense transformation they had performed.

"Reese!" Raven dashed over to her, scooping her up in his arms. Shadow groaned slightly, letting out a huff of air through his nostrils as he slowly rolled onto his side, lifting his head lazily. "Reese, are you ok?"

Her eyes fluttered open, and a smile spread across her lips as she saw who was holding her so tenderly.

"I knew you'd miss me."

Van looked at the map impatiently yet again; after the rendezvous with Karl Schubaltz and about 1000 miles of exquisite desert scenery consisting of sand, sand, sand, sand, incredibly small particles of stone eroded away over eons, and _even more god damn sand_, he was getting pretty tired of travelling and was delighted to see the blip marking their destination only 100 miles away.

He was not delighted however, to see that it had grown considerably larger and brighter over the past few minutes.

"Hey Karl, we've got a pretty big increase in the signature all the sudden. What do you think is going on?"

"Hopefully not what happened last time, that's for sure." The colonel's face tightened, remembering the destruction that had occurred the last time a zoid evolved in his presence. It was somewhat begrudgingly that Karl accepted the assignment from Rudolf; on one hand, he was dealing with Raven, who was at best a cynical, sarcastic smartass, and at worst destructive beyond imagination. On the other hand, he might have a zoid this time around, which would be like the first scenario but with either more sarcastic one-liners, or even bigger explosions. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure why he'd accepted the assignment at all. Hell, the "other hand" in his mind was just like the first one but somehow even worse. And then there was Reese... The Zoidian girl who did much worse than harm him; she controlled him. Used him. Violated any sense of morality at the expense of forcing him to attack his own brother. Took his honor and duty and loyalty and his own love for his brother, and stamped them into the dirt. He felt his jaw tense as he clamped his teeth together in anger. At least he had Van and Fiona and their new Liger to help out, and perhaps hold him back from any rash decisions. "_Seems like that kid is always getting into something, and it's either a load of trouble or incredible fortune._" Karl sighed. Glancing at the screen in front of him, they were close.

"Woah, what the-?! Karl, do you see that?!"

Karl's attention snapped forward, and outside on the edge of the horizon a massive red beam of energy pierced the sky like an arrow from below before slowly dissipating outwards. The crackling shaft of energy began playing havoc with his displays, the readings becoming erratic and the images blurring and pixelating for a moment before returning to equilibrium.

"What the hell?! Was that the signal?!"

"Yeah, it's off the charts now! Whatever it was, it's awake now and I don't think we have much time before we find out what it is!"

"Van, I have a bad feeling about this..." Van gritted his teeth in frustration, feeling quite similar to Fiona. They were so close! Why couldn't it have just been a little longer?

"Alright Karl, we've gotta go double time if we're gonna catch Raven and whatever it is that fired that beam!"

"Are you sure it's him?"

"You think anyone else we know would put on a light show like that? Raven's all about showing off his power, I don't have a doubt for a second that was him."

Reese smiled contentedly as Raven brought out food for her, and a small piece of the precious Zoid Magnite for Shadow. Handing the fist-sized chunk of glowing blue rock to the curled up Shadow, he turned and handed her a plate with bread and fish, the otherwise bland food accompanied by assorted produce from inside the icebox. She ate ravenously; it would have been an amusing sight if it weren't somewhat unsettling.

"Alright, I'll bite, tell me what took you and Shadow so long?" Reese stopped, chewed for a moment, and swallowed. Glancing over at the maverick, she smirked with pride.

"Well, as you can see we put the Geno Breaker through quite a process. It took us the first two days to fully repair everything, the next three spent restructuring the frame, and the rest of the time putting in the cores and the actual armor and weapons. You see, previously the Geno Breaker was so powerful that Shadow could only remain fused to it for one hundred and eighty seconds. Now with two extra zoid cores, the power is distributed much more evenly as opposed to concentrated in one core. That beam was a way to drain the cores of their energy; they'd have been destroyed if they tried to take in the evolution's power along with their own. Shadow can stay fused almost indefinitely at this rate." Shadow roared at this remark, eliciting a grin from Raven and a gentle scratch on the metal dragon's chin.

"Looks like Shadow and I have some testing to do I take it?" Raven laughed to himself and Shadow roared, full of excitement, as they began to walk to the zoid.

"I think so. I think I'll stay here and rest a bit... I'm still very tired." She sighed, and a small pang of guilt hit Raven as he took a few steps away.

_"She should know I want to stay here with her... But I have to at least pilot this new zoid once if I'm going to know how to use it in battle. I'll only be gone for 10 minutes, that's it."_

_"I know you need to pilot it. It's been too long for your own good. Don't worry darling, I'll be fine." _The sudden voice in his mind made Raven jump. He turned to look at the girl behind him, her eyes faintly aglow.

_"Reese..?"_

_"Oh come now, don't tell me you've forgotten I'm psychic already now? I'm gone for one week and look at you, I'm surprised you've even been able to feed yourself." _His flustered expression provoked a giggle from her, as she set down the plate and slowly stood up, still somewhat shaky from the exertion in the cocoon. "_And to think the great and powerful Raven would be so human as to miss me." _The zoidian's mouth curved in a sly grin as her mental conversation continued, walking slowly towards Raven. "_Oh Raven, darling..." _With that she had slipped her arms around him, embracing him as she nuzzled her head against his chest. Raven felt his face grow hot at the sudden contact, as he hastily returned the embrace. With a slow inhale, then a soft sigh, she looked up at him, her eyes glimmering as a beaming smile danced across her face. "So, what are you going to name it?"

"Name it..?" Raven seemed almost confused at the notion, to which Reese laughed in a low sardonic manner as she released her embrace.

"Of course name it, it's not the Geno Breaker anymore, now is it?"

"Geno Breaker... No, the Geno Breaker is gone, you're the Geno Destroyer!" As he walked towards it, the front of the chest hissed as the prow of armor on it split, the two halves parting as the cockpit opened up. The chair extended downwards, and as the black haired warrior sat down, it retracted back into the chest as the two halves of armor rejoined with a click surrounding Raven in darkness.

It was then that the cockpit began to shift. The chair he was in tilted so he was more or less standing in it, the leg rest and foot controls splitting into two as his legs dangled somewhat beneath him, though when he applied pressure he found them meeting the controls firmly. The armrests where the controls were had likewise separated, his arms gripping the controls as flexible mounts let them move freely. The awkward position threw him off, but as the controls hummed to life it all became clear. His entire vision was met with fuzzy white, then clarity as the massive monitor inside the spherical cockpit displayed his surroundings in a 270 degree field of view, seeing almost behind him until the chair's mountings to the cockpit wall ended the panoramic screen. Numerous readings displayed in front of him at the top and bottom of the screen, listing off systems and statuses, ammunition counts and power levels. Pressing a foot down, the zoid took a step forward. Moving his other foot, another step. Pressing the ball of his foot down, the thrusters along the zoid's ankles and legs flared to life as it began to hover above the ground several feet. "I'll be back in ten minutes." Reese looked up to the Geno Destroyer, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Just ten minutes?"

"Just ten... I promise." His words lightened her spirit, and caused her to smile. As the zoid turned, the thrusters on the ankles flared lifting the zoid further off the ground. As the boosters on the thighs and back engaged the zoid rocketed off into the air, heading northeast, with Shadow flying alongside it.

"Just ten..." She smiled warmly to herself. He'd be back soon, and she'd be able to be with him and Specular. But for now, she mused, it was time to eat. A week inside of a zoid was tiring, and even though the energy from the cores had kept her and Shadow alive and well, the physical sensation of hunger was now very much intent on letting itself be felt. Walking inside, she rummaged through the kitchen before pulling out a can of rations, the black lettering stamped on the old tin can reading "pork and beans".

"Hmph, better than nothing." She grabbed the steel can opener and worked the lid off, before dumping the contents into a small worn out steel pot and letting it cook away on the stovetop. Stopping quickly, Reese looked outside as Specular's conscience connected to hers, the message short and urgent.

_"Master... zoids and soldiers. Many. Coming quickly._"

Reese hurried outside to find Specular snarling at a pair of soldiers standing several feet away, guns raised.

"This is an order from the Helic Republic Military, you are hereby to surrender yourself, and your organoid, to President Pullerman!"

"_President Pulllerman? Must be the new leader of the Republic with Camford dead..."_

"I've got a much better idea..." Reese's eyes glowed blue as she penetrated into the minds of the two men, whom suddenly began screaming at hallucinations seen only by them; skin melting off bones, corpses shrieking at them, the images of them being disemboweled making one of them collapse onto the ground. Reese's confident smirk was soon erased as a pair of Shield Ligers trampled through the undergrowth, weapons deployed and poised at her. Stopping her psychic assault and leaving the two men almost comatose, she glared at the zoids. A blue burst of light flew at the nearest one, only to be deflected by a quickly erected E-shield.

"Specular!" The organoid flew back to Reese, slightly disoriented by the collision. "Are you alright?" A hiss of affirmation brought slight comfort.

"That's enough. You're coming with us, and there's nothing you or your foolish zoid can do to stop us!"

Four soldiers quickly surrounded her, and a pair of jeeps came skidding to a stop in front, another six men hopping out. Eyeing the situation, Reese knew she'd have to act carefully, and quick. Slowly back-stepping to Specular, she linked her mind to her partner's and spoke.

"_Take me inside you, and boost out of here as fast as we can towards Raven." _A hiss replied, and Reese took another backwards step towards her organoid. Before she could react however, two soldiers raised up strange weapons and fired. Two thick cables shot towards them, and as Specular opened her chest and vine-like cables ensnared Reese, electricity surged through the both of them as the cables wrapped around Specular's ankles. Specular shrieked with pain and dropped Reese, whom screamed as well at the voltage that had coursed through her body. Paralyzed on the sands, she was helpless to watch as both she and Specular were tied and loaded onto a jeep, which drove a short distance to a pair of Pteras that had landed. Tears slipping out of her eyes as she regained control of her body, her eyes flashed once before her vision faded to black.

"_Raven... help..."_


	8. Nemesis

Van and Karl waded through the thick forest around the oasis in stealth, slowly creeping through. The signal wasn't as strong as it was a few minutes ago, but enough that the whole area was covered in a radiation signature that obscured whatever it was that made the source. They were hunting by sight now. Coming into a clearing, a pair of Shield Ligers as well as a quartet of Command Wolves were present. A pair of Pteras were present across the lake that was in the center, but quickly left, squawking as their wings glowed yellow as they rose and they departed.

"What the heck are Republican Zoids doing here? When did they arrive, and where's Raven?" Van's pondering was answered by Fiona.

"Wait, Reese and Specular are on those Pteras'! I can feel it!" Fiona's expression wasn't just concerned, but desperate and distraught. Whatever she sensed about Reese and Specular must have been bad. "No, they can't take her and Specular! We need them with us! Wherever they're going, it isn't going to end well for any of us!"

"Well Van you heard the little lady, we've got to stop those zoids!" Van grunted in acknowledgement of Karl, and sprinted forward along with the Saber Fang. One of the Command Wolves saw the commotion and quickly turned to face the oncoming pair of cats, its pilot commanding over a loudspeaker.

"Halt, you are interfering with official Repub-"

"Get out of my way you little punk!" The Saber Fang growled as it leapt forward and above the Command Wolf, kicking off on the zoid's back for momentum and sending it to the ground in a crash. The King Liger followed suit, leaping over and taking aim at the Pteras on the left.

"Van no, you'll hurt them!" Growling in frustration, Van was at a loss. Zeke could only take command on one zoid at a time, and that'd mean either losing Reese or losing Specular. Before he could think any further, the three remaining Command Wolves and the pair of Shield Ligers rained a hail of fire, prompting him to raise his shield as Karl leapt about dodging rounds that were landing all too close.

Raven grinned with delight at the Geno Destroyer. It was similar to the Geno Breaker but with a higher speed and was far more agile and acrobatic in line with its appearance. Wherever he moved his arms, the zoid's arms moved, both the forelimbs and X Breaker claws, and with the simple turn of a wrist he could switch between the arms or the X Breakers. His feet controlled the thrusters and zoid's legs, and the triggers for the weapons were entirely slaved to each side's control arm; if he chose, he could fire every weapon as once. His field of vision was amazing; all except right behind him was clear and open, no small screens but a vast seamless display as if he were standing right there in the middle of the desert plains. His joy dissipated as he felt a tugging at the back of his mind, urgent, frantic; and in pain.

"_Raven... help..." _His eyes went wide as he realized Reese was in trouble, and dread filled him as the tugging faded away into nothing.

"_No... No, no no! Fuck, I'm gone ten minutes and _this_ happens?!"_

"Shadow, we need to go back, _now_!" Roaring with agreement, the Geno Destroyer quickly turned and streaked towards the oasis, verniers at the thighs and back open and blazing, the ankle thrusters in full tilt as well. "_No... She can't be gone, she _can't be gone_. I can't lose her, I can't lose anyone I care about again..." _Raven was now reconsidering his attachment; it only would end in pain. Why get close when you'll always get hurt? He couldn't lose who he cared about, not again. Shadow's mental voice slithered into his conscience:

"_Because, child. The time close is well worth your blood, sweat, and tears. Don't tell me you are so afraid as to abandon her when prospects turn grim? That the fear of loss of her is so great that you would betray your own heart? That is one who is cowardly, weak, foolish, that is no master of _mine_." _Raven gritted his teeth; he knew the dragon was right. Shadow rarely spoke to him mentally unless he knew Raven needed to hear it. Arriving at the oasis, he viewed the battle unfold. A strange Liger, quite large and colored blue and white and gold snarled as it leapt at a Command Wolf, the smaller zoid yelping in anguish as it was grabbed by the throat and slammed down. A black and red Saber Fang fired away at another, the distinctive gatling gun letting out a deafening buzz as hundreds of rounds spewed from the multiple barrels spinning in a frenzy. Two Shield Ligers and two Command Wolves remained. Reese and Specular were nowhere to be seen. The battle ceased as all the zoids froze and looked skywards at the red beast aloft in the air; it was as if a god had appeared to its people. Oh, but this was no god.

A god could show mercy.

Descending with a screaming roar, the Geno Destroyer launched its left arm at a Command Wolf, the thrusters on the elbow accentuating the blow as talons dug into the side as it was reeled back, the machine guns percussive as they shredded their way into the zoid. Attention already on a Shield Liger flanking right, the Destroyer extended an X Breaker, the massive clawed shield lashing forth and grabbing the cat and cutting into its torso before throwing it on the ground in front of it in a shower of sparks. Coming together with a terrifying clang, the closed blades speared downwards now like a sword and plunged through the zoid, eliciting a blood curdling yowling as its core was pierced. Attention was now turned to the reeled in canine as it struggled to break free, only for its head to be smashed underfoot by a vicious stomp. The second Shield Liger erected its namesake pink energy field, only for it to be dropped as the barrels on the other X-Breaker's guns flipped into place and launched a half dozen rounds, shattering it. The remaining Command Wolf leapt forward but was caught mid-air by the armored tail of the tyrannosaur smashing into its side, sending it soaring through the air in a burst of sparks and metal fragments. The Shield Liger had righted itself now, battered but not disabled. Again erecting the shield, it charged forward towards a waiting Destroyer, which let out a stuttering growl, a menacing laugh at the ill thought out attack. The horn on its head flipped forward, and both claws launched outwards, firing away. Smashing through the faceted pink barrier and latching onto the shoulders, gyro caps whirred as it was reeled in, the claws rending armor as sparks spat from the damage. The Shield Liger met its demise as the blade pierced through the upper jaw and into the cockpit, the exiting tip visible at the rear of the feline's head, now colored sanguine with blood from the pilot. Pulling its head back now, the red dragon looked at the lone Command Wolf charging in a vain attempt, cannons firing. The rounds popped against the armor of the Destroyer, insignificant and ineffective. The crimson zoid responded by dropping its footlocks, the armor panels along the tail lifting up slightly, as particles were sucked in through the converter on the back and a thin barrel extended from the mouth. In what seemed like only a second, the ball of energy in front of it flickered into existence and as quick as it appeared it vanished, exploding forth as a beam of crackling energy. The wolf was gone now, only crude glass from the sand where it stood remained, a smoldering path burning several hundred feet into the forest.

"R-Raven..?" The red zoid whirled in response to face the King Liger and Saber Fang, X Breakers raised as it flipped forward both blades and cannons in a threatening display.

"Where is she Van?! Tell me right now or I vaporize your sorry ass on the fucking spot!"

"Woah woah woah _language!_ Hold on Raven! We just got here looking for Reese and you, we had nothing to do with this!"

"Bullshit, Republican zoids, you and Schubaltz, and I'm expected to believe that story?!"

"Raven we didn't do it!" Fiona now spoke, pleading with him to believe. "Reese is being taken away by two Pteras', all of this was already going on when we arrived looking for you, we were just trying to find you and-"

"Shut your mouth _bitch, _I'm sick of your lying!"

Now Raven wasn't the only one furious. Van clenched his teeth and snapped at the maverick.

"Alright Raven, if it's a fight you want it's a fight you're gonna get!" Karl grunted in exasperation.

"Van, come on, don't provoke him anymore than he is!"

"Don't worry Karl. We're just gonna blow off some steam together, call it a bonding experience. Just try not to get caught between us."

Karl let out a heavy sigh, taking his hat off. It was no use, those two were going to have a scrap and several surrounding square miles would surely be the recipient of the damage.

With a roar the King Liger lunged forward at the now charging Geno Destroyer, the two titans clashing together with a terrific crash. The King Liger lunged for the Destroyer's neck, but was quickly shoved back by its arms and a punishing blow from the X Breaker's shield knocked it back further. The Liger's shoulders flipped their covers, and a volley of 20mm rounds were fired forth only to dodged by an agile crouch to the left. Standing tall, the barrels on the Destroyer's cannons flipped into place, and fired off with visceral reports as the machine guns sprayed rounds as well. The Liger ducked right, then leapt the opposite direction, just barely dodging the rounds as they exploded and crackled at its toes.

"Always running away Van, why don't you and your new hunk of scrap fight me head on?!"

"Alright, if that's what you want that's what you'll get, don't say I didn't warn you!" Turning sharply now, the Liger sprinted at the Breaker with its shield up, the golden barrier unwavering in the face of the onslaught on fire. As it neared, the Destroyer in a surprising display of agility quickly bounded upwards, somersaulting overhead as it rolled midair and launched both claws into the ankles of the King Liger's rear legs. The feline let out a surprised snarl as the Destroyer lifted it up into the air, swinging round and round as it built up speed. Before it could release however, the Liger dug its front claws into the dirt as it fired its boosters and turned, gaining traction and dragging the saurian zoid sharply to the side, then forward before it turned sharply again, slamming it into a thick tree that buckled to the collision with a heavy crack, sighing as it continued its fall.

"Hey Raven, if you wanted to go skiing there's a lake right there! You could've just asked." Van sneered at the maverick, relishing his taunts. Karl did not share his amusement.

"Van, stop making it worse!"

"Seriously Van, you're not the only one in this zoid you know!" A growl from Zeke, and Van was three-to-one in opposition of his mocking.

"Enough of this toying around!" Raven was no less enraged as the Geno Destroyer roared and flew forward, X-Breakers deployed and ready for a melee. The King Liger roared back, and the blades at its sides dropped into position, glowing with energy as the two mortal enemies approached. The Destroyer's weapons fired and the Liger leapt in the air; an trap sprung perfectly as the arms of the dinosaur launched, crossing paths as they grabbed the forelimbs of the descending Liger. The Destroyer jumped overhead and put the boosters on full as it raced skyward and the crossed cables made the Liger flip backwards and spin aggressively, its back slamming into the ground. Rolling upright, the Liger buckled as several rounds struck it, before it fired off a salvo of missiles in retort. The Destroyer raised its X Breakers in defense only for the rockets to spread outwards before flying in and detonating on the sides of the zoid.

"Not bad Flyheight, it's a shame I'm going to have to take you out after this."

"Aw, I never thought I'd hear Raven and his sweet talk again!" Raven opted instead of replying, to open up the armor's paneling to soak up energy, the dark silver panels now extending and glowing blue. The barrel extended, and instead of the typical ball of energy, a stream of azure plasma was spewed forth like fire.

"Huh?!" Van was entirely taken aback, quickly springing backwards as the stream splashed at his feet, turning the ground below cherry as it melted into obsidian. The flow stopped, and Van took his chance. Bounding ahead, the Liger leapt and fired the cannons mounted on the attack boosters. The Destroyer shifted left, but was quickly met with a hard headbutt from the Liger into its side sending it to the ground before being hit with a half dozen more cannon rounds. The King Liger let out a low growl, and slowly approached the downed zoid.

"Get out of my way!" The Destroyer roared and leapt at the Liger, belying its damaged state as it swung an X Breaker, the blades coming together and swinging horizontally in a great cleaving motion, prompting the Liger to quickly hop backwards as the other swinging soon after, failing to find its mark as the King Liger fired at the Geno Destroyer, stunning it again. "Damn it! I'm not giving up until you give Reese back!"

"We told you Raven, we don't have her! The sooner we stop fighting, the sooner we can rescue her!"

"And you think I'm supposed to believe that, after she calls for help and I find you three here?!" Far faster than Van could react, an X-Breaker lashed out and smashed into the face of the Liger, the great metal shield dealing a staggering blow as the Liger stumbled, before the armored tail came in from the other direction and slammed into its shoulder, heaving it into the air only to be caught again around the torso by the Destroyer's X Breaker. Van began to panic as the tyrannosaur's head pointed towards him, the long blade atop it still stained with blood of its previous victim.

"Not on my watch!"

"Huh-?!" Raven was quickly distracted as the Saber Fang leapt onto the back of his zoid, pawing and trying to bite onto anything it could. Thrashing about, the red beast struggled to shake the tiger as its teeth found purchase around the manipulator arm of an X Breaker. Seizing opportunity, Van fired off the shoulder cannons into the raging zoid's face, causing it to drop him. The now grounded Liger burst forward shield raised to crash into the Geno Destroyer, sparks flying as the shield struggled to maintain form against the armored hide. Van did not foresee, however, that his zoid would not regain footing, as the three metal creatures now collapsed into a pile, the King Liger atop the Geno Destroyer's belly, and Karl's Saber Tiger pinned beneath the both of them.

"Hah...haha, ahaha, AHAHAHA!" Van couldn't contain his laughter at the situation.

"Van, come on, be serious, this isn't a-" Fiona couldn't finish her sentence, the contagious fit of laughter now claiming her as victim as she giggled, realizing the absurdity of the pile of zoids.

"Damn it Van, _I'm stuck under here, this isn't funny!_"

"Bahaha! That makes it even _better!_" Van failed to find sympathy for the colonel, instead taking delight at his unfortunate position at the bottom of the heap. Van's cackling simmered to a steady giggling as he heard Raven.

"Fuck you Van, this isn't funny! Now get off so I can crush you like the pest you are!"

"I don't think you're in any positions to be calling the shots, Raven."

"Shut up Schubaltz, you're on bottom anyways!" Raven's remark prompted a curious growling; Shadow laughing as well at the situation. "Shadow, how can you be laughing at a time like this?!"

"Well Raven, now that Shadow seems to be done fighting why don't you let us help you?" Fiona's request seemed to get through this time; with a heavy sigh Raven replied.

"Whatever. Just get off me already."

"I wonder if he's heard that often..."

"_I will end you Flyheight!"_

"Alright calm down I'm kidding I'm kidding!"

A short while later, they had all circled around outside the small house next to the firepit, the zoids shading them from the harsh sun. Karl eyed Raven carefully; he didn't seem intent on harming them; a strange turn of events. He could see the change in the young man's physique since they had last met. He was taller slightly, wider in the shoulders and thicker in the limbs and torso than before. Not someone he'd be keen on going hand to hand with. His hair was longer, no doubt from his life on the lam. His eyes seemed different, though. There was a quality to them he couldn't discern, but they seemed... deeper? No longer shallow pools of lavender, but deep pits of royal purple. He spoke to the maverick, hoping to glean some kind of insight to his changes.

"So, how long have you been hiding out here, and when did you get that new zoid of yours?" Raven did not look at Karl, but instead spoke to the ground, while reaching into a pocket on his piloting attire and producing a lighter and pack of cigarettes.

"Reese and I found this oasis about three months ago. It was far enough away from the towns to not draw visitors, but not too far as to make supplies hard to come by. I guess you could say it's the closest thing I've had to a real home in fifteen years, and now..." Fiona frowned; Raven was deeply troubled by Reese's absence.

"Raven, how long did you and Reese travel together?" Raven glanced up at Fiona, not expecting the personal question. He inhaled deeply, the tip of the cigarette cherry red, paused, then slowly let the smoke exit his lungs as he exhaled.

"Well, after the Death Saurer was destroyed we traveled around for a while. Things were pretty rough at first, since we had nowhere to go and no way to get by. We'd go from town to town, just hoping no one would recognize us. I didn't have much money, and neither did she. So we stole what we couldn't afford or work for. Sometimes we'd get caught or recognized by villagers or soldiers. Mostly, they didn't catch on. Sometimes, they did... I didn't mind the fighting. But Reese did. She said it hurt her to see me in my old ways, and it only made the situation we were in worse. I couldn't argue with that. So we looked for a place to stay outside of the towns, and after a while found here."

"What happened to your face, your marking is-"

"Is gone? We'd gone to three different towns and been recognized at each one. So I removed it. Better gone than getting me killed." Van couldn't hold in his curiosity anymore.

"Where'd you get that zoid? And what's it called anyways?" Raven looked up at it and beamed with pride.

"That, is the Geno Destroyer. Reese and Shadow fused with it almost a week ago, and Specular brought a pair of zoid cores to fuel the transformation. Where'd you get that strange Liger?" Fiona shuddered at the mention of the extra cores, with Van likewise startled somewhat by the revelation, but managed to regain his composure before speaking.

"Well, Zeke and Fiona evolved the Blade Liger just a few days ago... Freaky coincidence, right?! We were sent out to find you and Reese and bring you back, the Empire and Republic are on the verge of war. So far it's been hostilities between patrols and scouts, nothing large scale yet." Raven grimaced, then walked over to the nearby log and sat down.

"Reese told me the same. I'm guessing it was a Republic patrol who took her then..." Raven was visibly glum now, his silence creeping to everyone else. Karl spoke, his bold voice splitting the stillness.

"Well Raven, we're here to cut you a deal. You're being pardoned by Emperor Rudolf due to your military service, as well as your assistance during the fight against the Death Saurer. It's not a decision likely to be popular, but you're still by technicality a citizen of the Empire and therefore anything the Emperor says goes. We'd like to call on you for assistance regarding the current climate between the two nations. This will in all likelihood turn into a full scale war yet again, and Rudolf feels your assistance is needed."

"Not a chance." Van groaned in frustration at Raven's shrewd reply, and crouched down to his level, as Raven took another long drag on his cigarette.

"C'mon Raven, we're giving you a chance here! Stop being so difficult!"

"I've got more important things than to be the Empire's lapdog again, and if you would all be so kind as to leave me the hell alone already I can get to finding out where Reese is!" Fiona now sighed in a mixture of amusement and annoyance at Van's blunt response, and short patience as he now stood up and walked away exasperated.

"Now now Van, butting heads won't do a thing. Raven?" Raven didn't acknowledge the blonde woman's presence as she crouched next to him and put a hand on his own which was resting on his knee. A glare thinly veiling rage quickly convinced her to remove it. "What if we help you find Reese? We've got plenty of intelligence networks and spies, and her safety is as important to us as it is to you. We can even work about pardoning her for you. If I were you I'd be quite happy about the much needed assistance." Raven lazily cast his gaze at her as the words began to churn in his mind.

"You see, Fiona," This may have been the first time he had directly spoken to her. "That's where you're wrong. I don't _need _your help. I don't _need_ any pardoning, I don't _need_ whatever it is you're bribing and blackmailing me with." The corners of Fiona's mouth curled as she saw her opportunity.

"You may not need any of that... But you need _Reese_. And we're able to help you find her better than you can alone. That's _my _offer. Take it or leave it if you wish." Raven's features distorted into a scowl as her words struck a nerve; she was right, and they both knew it. After a long moment of deliberation, and another hit of the cigarette, he spoke to Karl.

"Alright Schubaltz. I'll take your offer on two conditions."

"Very well, what are they?"

"One; You help me find Reese first and foremost. I don't do a thing until she's safe with me." He stood up. "Two; I work alone. No one comes along, no one joins, and no one leaves with me. As far as I'm concerned, the entire planet is expendable when I'm on a mission. You'd do well to remember that." Karl let out a sigh with the trace of a smile on his face; he had expected this of Raven, and wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Very well Raven, you drive a hard bargain but I'm sure we can work this into something. Van, Fiona, Zeke, anything to add?" Van fired off first;

"Yeah, we might have to do a bit of legwork to actually find Reese in the first place. Hopefully we can do it fast, but since we've got nowhere to really base off of other than Fiona potentially, we can't promise anything." Raven frowned; that wasn't what he wanted to hear. Fiona chimed in now.

"I can't sense her at the moment... But last time I felt her presence, it was just because she was nearby. I'm sure there's a way I could detect her if I tried." This proved successful in loosening the frown, but the traces of negativity still lingered on his expression. Karl turned abruptly, and began walking over to his Saber Fang.

"Well, if that's all, we'd best get headed back. I was ordered to check on Balfurg base after this." Karl stopped, then turned around to face the small house they were outside. "Hey, that building's burning inside!" Everyone's attention darted to the small house, black smoke now filling the windows as tongues of flame danced about inside, their frenzied flickering and swaying caused by the small pot of food Reese had left burning away on the stove. Van and Fiona began to panic, looking around for a way to quench the fire. Raven however, was complacent and cold. Van looked on in disbelief at his apathy, the same uncaring icy expression he'd always wore.

"Raven your house is burning! _Do you even care?!_"

"I've burned dozens of homes, I've ruined hundreds of lives. What right do I have to be angry? What reason could I have to be upset? This is what I did on a daily basis two years ago. As far as I'm concerned, this is just another piece of justice from karma. I'm used to not having a home anyways. Let's go." Flicking away the cigarette butt, he began walking away from the building as the fire began to claim the roof, looking to Shadow atop the Geno Destroyer. The ebony dragon leapt down, his wings spread wide as they slowed his descent. Landing in front of Raven, he growled his inquiry. "This isn't home Shadow. Not anymore..." Raven ran a gloved hand over Shadow's head, scratching the spot just behind the lower left spike on his head. His eyes narrowed and he hummed, calmed by the touch. Raven now turned to the group. "So, where are we headed?" Fiona spoke up;

"I think if we return to the Balfurg joint base with Colonel Schubaltz we could easily find out where Reese is being held. It'd be no use trying to track her down now, those Pteras could have easily gone anywhere by this point. We'll see what info we can get from the spies the Empire has currently. Until then, I'm afraid there isn't much we can do."

"Hmmpf. Very well, let's move along then." As Karl marched to his Saber Fang, and Fiona and Zeke to the King Liger, Van quickly paced over to Raven before he could sit in the seat of the Geno Destroyer.

"Listen Raven... I know this isn't what you want to do, and you'd rather be fighting us all than working with us. But this is the best way to do things, we'll have your back and be there with you when it comes to finding Reese." Van smiled, and placed his hand on the warrior's shoulder. Raven simply shrugged it off, sitting in the chair.

"You're right, I don't want to do this. And I don't like having to follow you around waiting to get the ok to look for Reese, or the bribery of her safety for my service. But if this is what it takes, so be it." With a tap on the controls, Raven receded into the Destroyer's chest, the armor halves sealing him away inside from Van. Sighing, the pilot walked away somewhat dejected.

_"I'd hoped to have gotten through to him more... I guess it's gonna take baby steps until we can get him to be more agreeable to this whole thing."_

"Van!" Fiona's bright voice sucked him out of his thoughts. "Are you coming? Hurry up now, Zeke and I are waiting." Smirking, Van jogged over to the cockpit and climbed inside, smiling back at Fiona before closing the canopy and moving forward. Schubaltz's Saber Fang was already striding ahead, Van closely following behind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raven race by, the Geno Destroyer flying past the pair and sending up a flurry of dust and sand. Raven sat in the cockpit, the chair keeping its more leisurely shape as opposed to the upright mode.

"Woah Raven, slow down a bit will ya?!" Raven ignored Van's hollering, instead slightly increasing the throttle out of spite. As the King Liger and Saber Fang went from a strut, to a trot, to full on sprinting attempting to keep up, the Geno Destroyer continued ahead leaving a wake of swirling sand and dust behind it. If he was going to follow their orders, they were going to have to keep up with him; and there wasn't a chance he was going to make that easy.

_**AN:** _Sorry for the long time between updates, I decided to post two chapters this time around because I felt that cliffhanger on the last one would have been a little cruel, and the chapter was pretty beefy compared to the rest. Review please! :3


End file.
